Recent Posts: News Buzz Musings

By Bonnie K. Goodman President-elect Donald Trump is enlisting more CEO’s to help him govern. On Friday, Dec. 2, 2016, Trump announced via a statement the creation of a new advisory board the “President’s Strategic and Policy Forum” which will exclusively work to “bring back jobs and Make America Great Again.” Blackstone co-founder Stephen Schwarzman […]

By Bonnie K. Goodman Although the official announcement is not coming until Monday, Dec. 5, 2016, President-elect Donald Trump leaked whom; he is choosing as his Secretary of Defense. During his thank you tour rally in Cincinnati, Ohio on Thursday evening, Dec. 1, Trump indicated that sources were right he intends to make retired Gen. […]

By Bonnie K. Goodman Current House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, (D -CA) staved off challenger Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH), to remain the House Democratic Minority Leader for the 115th Congress. On Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2016, House Democrats voted 134-63 in a closed-door meeting to keep Pelosi in as minority leader. The Nov. 15 elections were […]

By Bonnie K. Goodman The harsh 2016 campaign is never ending. President-elect Donald Trump has a good reason to call his former opponent and 2016 Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, a hypocrite. On Saturday evening, Nov. 26, 2016, and Sunday morning, Nov. 27, Trump went after Clinton supporting Green Party nominee Jill Stein’s filing for a […]

By Bonnie K. Goodman President-elect Donald Trump is continuing to add to his cabinet. On Friday, Nov. 25, 2016, Trump announced that he is naming Fox News analyst KT McFarland as his deputy national security advisor and his lawyer throughout the campaign and transition Don McGahn as assistant to the president and White House counsel. […]

By Bonnie K. Goodman It is Christmastime at the White House. First Lady Michelle Obama received the day after Thanks giving Friday, Nov. 25, 2016, the last Christmas tree she will decorate at the White House of her husband President Barack Obama’s administration. Unlike the last seven years, Mrs. Obama was not joined by her […]

By Bonnie K. Goodman President- elect Donald Trump is finally adding some women to his cabinet. On Wednesday afternoon, Nov. 23, 2016, Trump nominated “charter school advocate and businesswoman” Betsy DeVos for education secretary. Earlier in the day, Trump named South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, R-S.C. as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Both […]

By Bonnie K. Goodman As President-Elect Donald Trump conducts numerous meetings with potential candidates to fill cabinet posts, there is another important part of the transition process moving into the White House. On Sunday, Nov. 20, 2016, the New York Post reported that First Lady Melania Trump and son Barron would not be moving into […]

By Bonnie K. Goodman President-elect Donald Trump has done a first in history directly engage in a Twitter exchange and rant that was so common during his presidential campaign. Trump took to Twitter on Saturday morning, Nov. 19, 2016, after Vice President-elect Mike Pence went to see the Broadway musical Hamilton at Richard Rodgers Theatre […]

By Bonnie K. Goodman President-elect Donald Trump is beginning to fill up his cabinet, adding three more to the two positions he has already filled. On Thursday, Nov. 17, 2016, Trump named retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn as his National Security Adviser according to sources. On Friday, Nov. 18, Trump added to his cabinet by […]

RECENT POSTS: Together With Israel יחד עם ישראל

ISRAEL POLITICAL BRIEF ISRAEL POLITICAL BRIEF: ISRAEL NEWS Remarks by President Obama at Memorial Service for Former Israeli President Shimon Peres Source: WH, 9-30-16 Mount Herzl Jerusalem 11:14 A.M. IDT PRESIDENT OBAMA: Zvia, Yoni, Chemi and generations of the Peres family; President Rivlin; Prime Minister Netanyahu; members of the Israeli government and the Knesset; heads […]

ISRAEL POLITICAL BRIEF ISRAEL POLITICAL BRIEF: ISRAEL NEWS PM Netanyahu’s Speech at the United Nations General Assembly Source: PMO, 9-22-16 PM Netanyahu’s Speech at the United Nations General Assembly Photo by Kobi Gideon, GPO Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen, What I’m about to say is going to shock you: Israel has a bright future at […]

ISRAEL POLITICAL BRIEF ISRAEL POLITICAL BRIEF: ISRAEL NEWS Remarks by President Obama and Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel Before Bilateral Meeting Source: WH, 9-21-16 Lotte New York Palace Hotel New York, New York 12:58 P.M. EDT PRIME MINISTER NETANYAHU: Mr. President, it’s very good to see you again. First, I want to thank you for […]

ISRAEL POLITICAL BRIEF ISRAEL POLITICAL BRIEF: ISRAEL NEWS PM Netanyahu’s Remarks at the Memorial Ceremony for Those Who Fell During their Foreign Service Source: PMO, 10-10-16 The names of the 16 people from our Foreign Service who were killed during their service are engraved in iron and stone on the wall of commemoration behind me. […]

ISRAEL POLITICAL BRIEF ISRAEL POLITICAL BRIEF: ISRAEL NEWS Address by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Opening Ceremony of the Memorial Day for Israel’s Fallen Soldiers Source: PMO, 10-10-16 Honorable Speaker of the Knesset, Yuli Edelstein, Distinguished guests, first and foremost my brothers and sisters, members of the bereaved families, As the son of a […]

ISRAEL POLITICAL BRIEF ISRAEL POLITICAL BRIEF: ISRAEL NEWS PM Netanyahu and Vice President Joe Biden in a joint statement Source: PMO, 3-9-16 Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this morning issued the following statement at the start of his meeting with US Vice President Joe Biden: “Mr. Vice President, Joe, it’s good to welcome you again in […]

ISRAEL POLITICAL BRIEF ISRAEL POLITICAL BRIEF: ISRAEL NEWS PM Netanyahu’s Statement on the Occasion of International Holocaust Remembrance Day Source: PMO, 1-26-16 Dear Friends, Preserving the memory of the Holocaust is more important today than ever for in this period of resurgent and sometimes violent anti-Semitism, it is commemorations like this that remind us […]

Remarks by Rick Santorum at the Republican National Convention

Rick Santorum’s remarks Tuesday night at the Republican National Convention as prepared for delivery.
___

It’s an honor to be here tonight with the love of my life, Karen, my 93-year-old mother and some of our kids.

You think it’s crowded in here, good thing I didn’t bring all my kids.

I am a first-generation American.

At age seven, my dad came to Johnstown, Pennsylvania from the mountains of northern Italy, on a ship named Providence.

How providential that one day his son would announce for President just down the road from the deep mines where his father — my grandfather — mined coal ’til he was 72 years old.

When my grandfather died, I remember as a kid kneeling at his casket and not being able to take my eyes off his thick strong hands — hands that dug his path in life — and gave his family a chance — at living the American Dream.

Working the mines may not have been the dream he dreamed – I never dared to ask him – but I think his answer would have been that America gave him more than he had ever hoped.

America believed in him, that’s why he believed in America.

My grandfather, like millions of other immigrants, didn’t come here for some government guarantee of income equality or government benefits to take care of his family.

In 1923 there were no government benefits for immigrants except one: Freedom!

Under President Obama, the dream of freedom and opportunity has become a nightmare of dependency with almost half of America receiving some government benefit.

It is no surprise fewer and fewer Americans are achieving their dreams and more and more parents are concerned their children won’t realize theirs.

President Obama spent four years and borrowed five trillion dollars, trying to convince you that he could make things better for you —— to put your trust in him and the government to take care of every problem.

The result — massive debt, anemic growth and millions more unemployed. The President’s plan didn’t work for America, because that’s not how America works.

In America we believe in freedom and the responsibility that comes with it to work hard to make that dream of reaching our God-given potential come true.

We believe it because it still works.

Even today.

Graduate from high school, work hard, and get married before you have children and the chance you will ever be in poverty is just two percent.

Yet if you don’t do these three things you’re 38 times more likely to end up in poverty!

We understand many Americans don’t succeed because the family that should be there to guide them, and serve as the first rung on the ladder of success, isn’t there or is badly broken.

The fact is that marriage is disappearing in places where government dependency is highest. Most single mothers do heroic work and an amazing job raising their children, but if America is going to succeed, we must stop the assault on marriage and the family.

From lowering taxes to reforming social programs, Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan are dedicated to restoring the home where married moms and dads are pillars of strong communities raising good citizens.

A solid education should be the second rung on the ladder to success, but the system is failing.

President Obama’s solution has been to deny parents choice, attack private schools and nationalize curriculum and student loans.

Mitt Romney believes that parents and the local community must be put in charge — not the Department of Education.

We all know there is one key to success that has helped people overcome even the greatest of obstacles – hard work. That’s why work was the centerpiece of the bipartisan welfare reform law.

Requiring work as a condition for receiving welfare succeeded — and not just because the welfare rolls were cut in half — but because employment went way up, poverty went down and dreams were realized.

It’s a sturdy ladder to success that is built with healthy families, education and hard work.

But President Obama’s policies undermine the traditional family, weaken the education system.

And this summer he showed us once again he believes in government handouts and dependency by waiving the work requirement for welfare.

I helped write welfare reform; we made the law crystal clear – no president can waive the work requirement. But as with his refusal to enforce our immigration laws, President Obama rules like he is above the law.

America take heed, when a president can simply give a speech or write a memo and change the law to do what the law says he can’t, we weaken our republic.

Yet as my family and I crisscrossed America, something became so obvious to us.

America is still the greatest country in the world – and with God’s help and good leadership we can restore the American Dream.

Why?

I held its hand. I shook the hand of the American Dream. And it has a strong grip.

I shook hands of farmers and ranchers who made America the bread basket of the world. Hands weathered and worn. And proud of it.

I grasped dirty hands with scars that come from years of labor in the oil and gas fields, mines and mills. Hands that power and build America and are stewards of the abundant resources that God has given us.

I gripped hands that work in restaurants and hotels, in hospitals, banks, and grocery stores. Hands that serve and care for all of us.

I clasped hands of men and women in uniform and their families. Hands that sacrifice and risk all to protect and keep us free. And hands that pray for their safe return home.

I held hands that are in want. Hands looking for the dignity of a good job, hands growing weary of not finding one but refusing to give up hope.

And finally, I cradled the little, broken hands of the disabled. Hands that struggle and bring pain, hands that ennoble us and bring great joy.

They came to see us – oh did they come — when they found out Karen and I are blessed with caring for someone very special too, our Bella.

Four and a half years ago I stood over a hospital isolette staring at the tiny hands of our newborn daughter who we hoped was perfectly healthy. But Bella’s hands were just a little different – and I knew different wasn’t good news.

The doctors later told us Bella was incompatible with life and to prepare to let go. They said, even if she did survive, her disabilities would be so severe that Bella would not have a life worth living.

We didn’t let go and today Bella is full of life and she has made our lives and countless others much more worth living.

I thank God that America still has one party that reaches out their hands in love to lift up all of God’s children – born and unborn – and says that each of us has dignity and all of us have the right to live the American Dream.

And without you America is not keeping faith with that dream.

We are stewards of a great inheritance. In November we have a chance to vote for life and liberty, not dependency. A vote for Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan will put our country back in the hands of leaders who understand what America can and, for the sake of our children, must be to keep the dream alive.

CAMPAIGN 2012

By Bonnie K. Goodman

Ms. Goodman is the Editor of History Musings. She has a BA in History & Art History & a Masters in Library and Information Studies from McGill University, and has done graduate work in history at Concordia University. Ms. Goodman has also contributed the overviews, and chronologies in History of American Presidential Elections, 1789-2008, 4th edition, edited by Gil Troy, Fred L. Israel, and Arthur Meier Schlesinger published by Facts on File, Inc. in 2011.

Rick Santorum’s Endorsement of Governor Mitt Romney

Source: Rick Santorm, 5-7-12
On Friday, Governor Romney came to Pittsburgh for an over-hour long one-on-one meeting. The conversation was candid, collegial and focused on the issues that you helped me give voice to during our campaign; because I believe they are essential ingredients to not only winning this fall, but turning our country around.

While the issue of my endorsement did not come up, I certainly have heard from many of you who have weighed in on whether or not I should issue a formal endorsement. Thank you for your counsel, it has been most helpful. However, I felt that it was completely impossible for me to even consider an endorsement until after a meeting to discuss issues critical to those of us who often feel our voices are not heard by the establishment: social conservatives, tea-party supporters, lower and middle income working families.

Clearly without the overwhelming support from you all, I never would have won 11 states and over 3 million votes, and we would not have won more counties than all the other candidates combined. I can assure you that even though I am no longer a candidate for president, I will still continue to fight every day for our shared values – the values that made America the greatest country in the history of the world.

During our meeting I felt a deep responsibility to assess Governor Romney’s commitment to addressing the issues most important to conservatives, as well his commitment to ensuring our appropriate representation in a Romney administration.

The family and its foundational role in America’s economic success, a central point of our campaign, was discussed at length. I was impressed with the Governor’s deep understanding of this connection and his commitment to economic policies that preserve and strengthen families. He clearly understands that having pro-family initiatives are not only the morally and economically right thing to do, but that the family is the basic building block of our society and must be preserved.

I also shared with Governor Romney my belief that we cannot restore America as the greatest economic engine the world has ever seen until we return America to being a manufacturing superpower. He listened very carefully to my advice on this matter, and while our policy prescriptions differed, he clearly expressed his desire to create more opportunities for those that are feeling left behind in this economy.

As it is often said, “personnel is policy.” I strongly encouraged Governor Romney as he builds out his campaign staff and advisors that he add more conservative leaders as an integral part of his team. And you can be sure that I will work with the Governor to help him in this task to ensure he has a strong team that will support him in his conservative policy initiatives.

Of course we talked about what it would take to win this election. As you know I started almost every speech with the phrase that this was the most important election since the election of 1860 and four more years of President Obama is simply not an option. As I contemplated what further steps I will take, that reality weighed heavy on me. The America we know is being fundamentally changed to look more like a European socialist state than the land of opportunity our founding fathers established.

Freedom and personal responsibility are being replaced with big government dependency. The greatest and most productive workers in the world are being hamstrung by excessive regulations making it impossible to compete. Our healthcare system had been socialized, and the worth of each life dictated by some government bureaucrat. Our allies are insulted while our enemies are appeased. And our religious beliefs and freedom have come under attack.

What is even more troubling is what a second term of an Obama administration could bring. President Obama’s admission to the Russians that he will have more flexibility in a second term can only be translated to “if you thought I was liberal in the first four years you haven’t seen anything yet!”

The primary campaign certainly made it clear that Governor Romney and I have some differences. But there are many significant areas in which we agree: the need for lower taxes, smaller government, and a reduction in out-of-control spending. We certainly agree that abortion is wrong and marriage should be between one man and one woman. I am also comfortable with Governor Romney on foreign policy matters, and we share the belief that we can never allow Iran to possess nuclear weapons. And while I had concerns about Governor Romney making a case as a candidate about fighting against Obamacare, I have no doubt if elected he will work with a Republican Congress to repeal it and replace it with a bottom up, patient, not government, driven system.

Above all else, we both agree that President Obama must be defeated. The task will not be easy. It will require all hands on deck if our nominee is to be victorious. Governor Romney will be that nominee and he has my endorsement and support to win this the most critical election of our lifetime.

My conversation with Governor Romney was very productive, but I intend to keep lines of communication open with him and his campaign. I hope to ensure that the values that made America that shining city on the hill are illuminated brightly by our party and our candidates thus ensuring not just a victory, but a mandate for conservative governance.

Karen and I know firsthand how difficult the campaign trail can be particularly as governor Romney faces relentless attacks from the democrats. We have been praying for him and his family and will continue to do so in the weeks and months ahead.

I look forward to working together to defeat President Obama this fall and to protect faith, family, freedom and opportunity in America.

Rick Santorum endorses Mitt Romney in late-night email: Rick Santorum endorsed his onetime rival Mitt Romney in a long email to supporters late Monday night, calling on them to unite behind the cause of defeating President Obama in November. Santorum, who withdrew from the race last month…. – LAT, 5-8-12

Santorum endorses Romney, asks supporters to help: Rick Santorum on Monday urged his supporters to join him in working with presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney to deny President Obama a second term. Rick Santorum endorsed his one-time bitter rival Mitt Romney in a late-night e-mail…. – Boston Globe, 5-8-12-

Santorum endorsement of Romney a bit lukewarm: Rick Santorum finally endorsed Mitt Romney for president, but he sure didn’t trumpet the fact. The word came near the end of the 13th paragraph of an e-mail that hit the inboxes of Santorum supporters about 11 pm Monday – more than…. – Philadelphia Inquirer, 5-9-12

On ‘Tonight Show,’ Santorum holds firm on conservative stances: Former GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum, who dropped out of the race after presenting an energetic challenge to Mitt Romney from the party’s right flank, jousted over gay marriage and contemporary culture with Jay Leno…. – LAT, 5-9-12

CAMPAIGN 2012

By Bonnie K. Goodman

Ms. Goodman is the Editor of History Musings. She has a BA in History & Art History & a Masters in Library and Information Studies from McGill University, and has done graduate work in history at Concordia University. Ms. Goodman has also contributed the overviews, and chronologies in History of American Presidential Elections, 1789-2008, 4th edition, edited by Gil Troy, Fred L. Israel, and Arthur Meier Schlesinger published by Facts on File, Inc. in late 2011.

Today I announced that I am suspending my campaign for the President of the United States. This has been one of the hardest decisions Karen and I have ever had to face together. And it has been hard in large measure because of you. I know that my candidacy has offered you a way to fight for your convictions. Together, we have fought for the principles that this country was founded on; that made this country great. Without fighting for them, this country cannot continue to be great.
I thank you for your support, and urge you to continue this fight. God bless you, and please keep us in your prayers. And know that we keep you in ours. — Rick Santorum

“Over and over again, we were told, ‘Forget it, you can’t win.’ We were winning. We were winning in a very different way because we were touching hearts. We were raising issues that, well, frankly, a lot of people didn’t want to have raised.”

“This race was as improbable as any race that you will ever see for president. I want to thank God for that and I want to thank all of you. Thank all of you across this country for what you have given– well, hopefully not just me and our family but what you’ve given which is a voice to those who are in many cases voiceless.”

“We traveled around and did 385 town hall meetings in Iowa. We weren’t out there trashing anybody … We painted a hopeful, positive vision for our country. One that was based on how we could get this country turned around, not just economically.”

“Against all odds, we won 11 states. Millions of voters. Millions of votes. We won more counties than all the other people in this race combined.”

“We made a decision over the weekend that while this presidential race for us is over, for me, and we will suspend our campaign effective today, we are not done fighting. We are going to continue to fight for those voices. We’re going to continue to fight for the Americans who stood up and gave us that air under our wings that allowed us to accomplish things that no political expert would have ever expected.”

Mitt Romney: I Congratulate Senator Santorum on the Campaign He Ran: “Senator Santorum is an able and worthy competitor, and I congratulate him on the campaign he ran. He has proven himself to be an important voice in our party and in the nation. We both recognize that what is most important is putting the failures of the last three years behind us and setting America back on the path to prosperity.”

Santorum to withdraw from presidential race: Rick Santorum announced Tuesday afternoon that he is suspending his presidential campaign, according to a campaign official. Santorum will announce his withdrawal at a campaign event in Gettysburg, Pa., all but bringing to a close the 2012 GOP presidential contest and handing the nomination to Mitt Romney…. – WaPo, 4-10-12

Santorum Suspends Presidential Campaign: Rick Santorum suspended his presidential campaign on Tuesday, bowing to the inevitability of Mitt Romney’s nomination and ending his improbable, come-from-behind quest to become the party’s conservative standard-bearer in the fall.
“We made a decision over the weekend, that while this presidential race for us is over, for me, and we will suspend our campaign today, we are not done fighting,” Mr. Santorum said.
Mr. Santorum made the announcement at a stop in his home state of Pennsylvania after a weekend in which he tended to his 3-year-old daughter, Bella, who had been hospitalized with pneumonia.
Mr. Santorum, who was holding back tears, did not exactly specify why he was ending his presidential bid. He referred to his daughter’s illness, but said she was making great progress and was back home after being hospitalized over the weekend…. – NYT, 4-10-12

US Election 2012: highlights from Rick Santorum’s campaign: Rick Santorum said his candidacy was “as improbable as any race you will ever see for president”. Here are the highlights from a shoe-string campaign that one point threatened to derail Mitt Romney…. – Telegraph.co.uk, 4-10-12

Santorum suspends GOP presidential campaign: Bowing to the inevitable after an improbably resilient run for the White House, Rick Santorum quit the presidential race on Tuesday, clearing the way for Mitt Romney to claim the Republican…. – AP, 4-10-12

Santorum White House bid stirred love, loathing: Rick Santorum, who ended his race for the White House Tuesday, emerged as an improbable contender for the Republican nomination, with a faith-and-family message that caught fire with the party’s most…. – AFP, 4-10-12

Rick Santorum suspends presidential campaign, is ‘not done fighting’: Rick Santorum announced Tuesday that he will suspend his presidential campaign but vowed “we are not done fighting.” “While this presidential race is over for us, for me…we are not done fighting,” Santorum said. “We are going to continue … – LAT, 4-10-12

Rick Santorum bows out of 2012 presidential race: Rick Santorum ended his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination, clearing a path for Mitt Romney to become the nominee…. – CS Monitor, 4-10-12

Santorum suspends GOP presidential campaign: Bowing to the inevitable, Rick Santorum quit the presidential campaign Tuesday, clearing the way for Mitt Romney to claim the Republican nomination. Santorum, appearing with his wife and family in his home state of Pennsylvania, told supporters the … – LAT, 4-10-12

Santorum Suspends Presidential Campaign: Rick Santorum is suspending his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination on Tuesday, according to a person with knowledge of his plans, bowing to the inevitability of Mitt Romney’s nomination and ending his improbable, come-from-behind quest to become the party’s conservative standard-bearer in the fall…. – NYT, 4-10-12

Santorum suspends GOP presidential campaign: AP Rick Santorum is suspending his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination, clearing a path for Mitt Romney to become the nominee. A Republican close to the campaign says the former Pennsylvania senator was to make the announcement Tuesday…. – LAT, 4-10-12

Rick Santorum to suspend presidential campaign: Santorum is set to speak to reporters shortly in Gettysburg, Pa. It is his first campaign event since taking time off for the Easter holiday and to deal with the hospitalization of his youngest daughter, Bella…. – USA Today, 4-10-12

Rick Santorum withdraws from GOP presidential race, clearing path for Romney: Rick Santorum is suspending his campaign for the GOP presidential nomination, clearing a path for Mitt Romney to become the nominee. A campaign spokesman says the former Pennsylvania senator was to make the announcement Tuesday in his…. – WaPo, 4-10-12

Poll: What do voters think of Santorum campaign suspension?: Rick Santorum, the former Pennsylvania senator and leading stumbling block to Mitt Romney’s path to the GOP nomination, announced Tuesday he will suspend his presidential campaign. Republicans and independents who lean to the GOP…. – WaPo, 4-10-12

What happens to Rick Santorum’s delegates?: “Against all odds, we won 11 states,” Rick Santorum told supporters in Gettysburg on Tuesday afternoon as he announced that he was suspending his campaign for the GOP presidential nod. “Millions of voters. Millions of votes.”
So, what happens to the 281 Republican National Convention delegates that the former Pennsylvania senator has won over the course of the campaign?
It depends on the states in which Santorum won them…. – WaPo, 4-10-12

Get out Rick, a growing Republican chorus says. Forget it, responds Rick Santorum to the calls to drop his increasingly long-shot bid for the GOP presidential nomination.

The pressure to withdraw is actually incentive for Santorum to stay in the race.

It keeps the media spotlight on him and bolsters the image he constantly projects of himself as the lone conservative battling the GOP establishment’s desire for the more moderate Mitt Romney to face President Barack Obama in November.

Both elements are vital to the former U.S. senator from Pennsylvania, who has seen his campaign rise from shoestring status to become the main conservative challenge to Romney’s front-running bid….READ MORE

POLITICAL SPEECHES & DOCUMENTS

OBAMA PRESIDENCY & THE 112TH CONGRESS:

POLITICAL QUOTES & SPEECHES

Rick Santorum: Wisconsin Primary speech (Transcript, video)

Rick Santorum delivered his election-night speech from Mars, Penn., on Tuesday night as the results from the Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Wisconsin primaries were coming in. Unfortunately for Santorum, he was defeated in all three primaries by former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney.

SANTORUM: Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you so much. It is great to be home. Thank you.

(APPLAUSE)

I’m here with Karen and the kids and the people behind us, that’s just — that’s not all of Karen’s family but most of it. Karen is — Karen and her — Karen’s parents had 11 children and umpteen nieces and nephews that we have and it’s — it’s just great to be here with — with friends and family. And we have now reached the point where it’s halftime. Half the delegates in this process have been — have been selected. And who’s ready to charge out of the locker room in Pennsylvania for a strong second half?

(APPLAUSE)

It is — it is great to be here in Southwestern Pennsylvania where — where I grew up in a — in a steel town about 20 miles north — northeast of here in this same county, Butler, Pennsylvania. How about a shout out for Butler?

(APPLAUSE)

And this area — this area like that town and like the people in it, forged steel to build this country, to help win world wars and not just have we built the country and forged steel to win wars, we’ve forged people with strong values and a strong commitment to what made America great. OK you can applaud that too.

(APPLAUSE)

I can always be interrupted for applause, don’t worry about that. This is — this why we came here. This is why we wanted to come back to west — Southwestern Pennsylvania to — to kick off the second half. This is a — a part of the country, Pennsylvania that well, it’s where America started. Not only did we forge steel in this state, we forged liberty in this state.

(APPLAUSE)

The symbol of the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, where that document that those who have been following me about on the campaign trail have been seeing, this document both the U.S. Constitution and the Declaration of Independence forged right here in Pennsylvania. And there’s no place where those values are more instilled than in this great commonwealth. Ladies and gentleman…

(APPLAUSE)

This great commonwealth has given a tremendous amount to our country. If you look at just the history of our — of our great state, not only the Declaration and the Constitution created here, but we won key battles. Washington’s crossing — Washington crossing the Delaware to save the revolution. That plan was hatched up here in Pennsylvania. Some in the other camps in this race have said that all of the significant people have spoken in this race so far. See, General Washington knew that in fact not all the significant are those elites in society. Those who are the generals and the ranked officers, but in fact what General Washington understood, some of the best ideas, some of the best plans, in fact what has made this country great is that we have listened to real significant voices of every day Americans. And he did. And that’s why he crossed the Delaware, surprised the Hessian’s and turned the tide of the revolution. Ladies and gentleman, Pennsylvania and half the other people in this country have yet to be heard and we’re going to to out and campaign here and across this nation to make sure that their voices are heard in the next few months.

(APPLAUSE)

We know who we are here in Pennsylvania. We know who we are. We know the stock that we are made of. We’ve contributed a lot. Great deeds have occurred here. Great Pennsylvanians have contributed. I know, I had the privilege of representing this state in the Senate for 12 years and this community here in Southwestern Pennsylvania for four.

(APPLAUSE)

I went to every one of those counties every year, all 67 and I understand the greatness of the people of this state. And I understand how important this race is here in Pennsylvania. This is called the Keystone State for a reason. We are in fact the keystone. We’re the — we’re the place upon which our country was built and great things continue to happen here. Great things like in manufacturing and oil and gas production here in Pennsylvania that is turning our economy around and creating opportunities for us to grow our economy. Not just here in Pennsylvania, but because of lower natural gas prices we’re seeing manufacturing and other businesses come back in spite of the crushing burden that Barack Obama and his administration has put on our economy.

SANTORUM: We need someone who understands what liberty is all about. Someone who’s going to go out and fight to make sure that the biggest and most crushing burden that this administration has put on us, one that was debated just last week in the United States Supreme Court about government taking control of your health and of course as a result, of your very life. And dictating to you – dictating to you what you will do, how much you will pay, what insurance you will get. And even what the practice of your faith will be dictated by the federal government.

We need someone in this race who can go out and make the clarion call for liberty. Someone who has stood tall and opposed government run health care at any level, state or federal. Who can go out and make the case of what Barack Obama is doing, which even Justice Stevens, which is what ObamaCare does and what his agenda of government control of health care and his attempt to get Cap and Trade, where he’s going dictate how you — energy — how much energy, not just health care, but how much energy you’re going to use.

That this is a fundamental change in the relationship between the people and their government. Ladies and gentleman if we’re going to win this race, we can’t have little differences between our nominee and President Obama. We have to have clear contrasting colors. In the last 120 years…

(APPLAUSE)

In the last 120 years, we’ve had one time where the Republican Party has defeated an incumbent Democrat for president. One time. Time and time again the Republican establishment and aristocracy have shoved down the throats of the Republican Party and people across this country, moderate Republicans. Because of course we have to win by getting people in the middle. There’s one person who understood, we don’t win by moving to the middle. We win by getting people in the middle to move to us and move this country forward.

(APPLAUSE)

Not only do we know who we are here in Pennsylvania and what we stand for, but you know who I am. You’re going to hear a lot of things being thrown as has happened in all the other states where we’ve seen a whole bunch of negative campaigning. We’ve gone out across this country. And with the most improbable of odds, and with limited resources except one in which we’ve had incredible resources, and that’s human resources. The people of this country have stood up and followed because they’ve seen someone who has a clear positive vision. Someone whose convictions are also forged in steel, not on an Etch-A-Sketch.

(APPLAUSE)

So you’ll be seeing the negative ads and you’ll be here getting the robo-calls and all the other things thrown at us. But you know me. You know how hard I work. You know how strongly I believe the things that — the values of Southwestern Pennsylvania have instilled in me. You know that I come from a steel town from immigrant parents. Grandfather worked in the mines. Someone who lived in government housing on a V.A. grounds and saw the great sacrifice of our men and women in uniform, serving them as they served our country. You know me. They’ll say all the things, that I’m someone who doesn’t stand up for what I believe in. You know me.

(APPLAUSE)

And so I ask you over the next three weeks, this isn’t halftime, no marching bands. We’re hitting the field. The clock starts tonight. We’ve got three weeks to go out here in Pennsylvania and win this state and after winning this state, the field looks a little different in May. I remind everybody the one time that we did win in the last 120 years, the Republican Party had the courage to go out and nominate someone who all the experts and all the pundits and all the media — all the Republican establishment said couldn’t win. He was too conservative.

He lost almost every early primary. He only won one until May. One primary till May. Everybody told him to get out of the race. This was back in 1976. They said, get out of the race, we need a moderate. In 1976, Ronald Reagan didn’t get out of the race. He was able to stand tall in May, win the state of Texas, which we have every intention of doing.

(APPLAUSE)

He took that race the entire way to the convention and he fell short. And in the fall Republicans fell short because we nominated another moderate who couldn’t galvanize our party and bring those votes to our side to get the kind of change that we needed in America. And then four years later, they fought him again. We need another moderate. We have to defeat this Democratic incumbent. And this time the Republican establishment lost. Let’s not make the mistake of 1976 again. Let’s bypass that error and move straight to 1980. And let’s defeat a Democratic incumbent. And you can help me here in Pennsylvania. Thank you very much. God bless you. God bless you. Thank you. Thank you.

CAMPAIGN 2012

CAMPAIGN BUZZ 2012

Mitt Romney Delivers Remarks in Wisconsin

We have won a great victory tonight in our campaign to restore the promise of America.

You won’t find Americans with bigger hearts than those here in our heartland. But as I’ve travelled across this beautiful state, I’ve visited with far too many whose hearts are filled with anxiety about the future. So many good and decent people seem to be running harder just to stay in place and, for many, no matter how hard they run, every day puts them just a little bit further behind.

It’s that way across so much of America.

Under this President’s watch, more Americans have lost their jobs than during any other period since the Depression. Millions have lost their homes, and a record number of Americans are living in poverty. And the most vulnerable have been hurt the most – over 30% of single moms are struggling in poverty. New business startups are at the lowest level in 30 years, and our national debt is at a record high. And when you drive home tonight and stop at a gas station, just take a look at the prices and ask yourself, “Four more years?”

And that’s why it is important to understand one astonishing fact about this election: President Obama thinks he’s doing a good job. No, I’m not kidding. He actually thinks he’s doing a great job. An historically great job. According to the President, only Lincoln, FDR and Lyndon Johnson have accomplished more. And no, he didn’t say that on Saturday Night Live.

It’s enough to make you think that years of flying around on Air Force One, surrounded by an adoring staff of True Believers telling you what a great job you are doing, well, that might be enough to make you a little out of touch.

This campaign will deal with many complicated issues but there is a basic choice before us:

The President has pledged to “transform America,” and he has spent the last four years laying the foundation for a new Government-Centered Society.

I will spend the next four years rebuilding the foundation of our Opportunity Society, led by free people and free enterprises.

Our different visions for America are the product of our values and our life experiences.

Barack Obama once said that his work as a community organizer motivated him to help “communities that had been ravaged by plant closings.” His desire to help others could not be more admirable but it’s clear that he saw free enterprise as the villain and not the solution.

He never seemed to grasp the basic point that a plant closes when a business loses money. So today when the President attacks business and when his policies make it more difficult for businesses to grow and prosper, he is also attacking the very communities he wanted to help. That’s how it works in America. Or at least that’s how it works when America is working.

But under Barack Obama, America hasn’t been working. The ironic tragedy is that the community organizer who wanted to help those hurt by a plant closing became the President on whose watch more jobs have been lost than any time since the Great Depression.

In Barack Obama’s Government-Centered Society, the government must do more because the economy is doomed to do less. When you attack business and vilify success, you will have less business and less success. And then, of course, the debate becomes about how much to extend unemployment insurance because you have guaranteed there will be millions more unemployed.

In Barack Obama’s Government-Centered Society, tax increases become not only a necessity, but also a desired tool for social justice. In that world of shrinking means, there’s a finite amount of money, and as someone once famously said, you need taxes to spread the wealth around.

In Barack Obama’s Government-Centered Society, government spending will always increase because…there’s no reason to stop it. There’s always someone who is entitled to something more, and who will vote for anyone who will give them something more.

We know where that transformation leads. There are other nations that have chosen that path. It leads to chronic high unemployment, crushing debt, and stagnant wages. Sound familiar?

I don’t want to transform America; I want to restore the values of economic freedom and opportunity and limited government that have made this nation the leader it is.

It is opportunity that has always driven America and defined us as Americans!

I’m not naïve enough to believe that free enterprise is the solution to all of our problems – nor am I naïve enough to doubt that it is one of the greatest forces of good this world has ever known.

Free enterprise has done more to lift people out of poverty, to help build a strong middle class, to help educate our kids, and to make our lives better, than all of the government programs put together.

If we become one of those societies that attack success, one outcome is certain – there will be a lot less success.

That’s not who we are. The promise of America has always been that if you worked hard, and took some risks, that there was the opportunity to build a better life for your family and for the next generation.

This means that government must be smaller and have strict limits placed on its power. Obamacare violates both principles. I will repeal it.

Taxes should be as low as possible, in line with those of competing nations, and designed to foster innovation and growth. That’s why I will cut marginal tax rates across the board.

Regulations are necessary, but they must be continuously updated, streamlined, and modernized. Regulators should see part of their job as protecting economic freedom, promoting enterprise, and fostering job creation.

Workers should have the right to form unions, but unions should not be forced upon them. And unions should not have the power to take money out of their members’ paychecks to buy the support of politicians favored by the union bosses.

Out-of-touch liberals like Barack Obama say they want a strong economy, but they really don’t like businesses very much. But the economy is simply the product of all the nation’s businesses added together. So it’s like saying you love omelets but don’t like eggs.

To build a strong economy that provides good jobs and rising wages and that reduces poverty, we need to build successful businesses of every kind imaginable. And President Obama has been attacking successful businesses of every kind imaginable.

We have always been the country where dreamers build dreams and where one dream helps launch another. And if those dreamers are rewarded with prosperity, we view that as a reason others would be encouraged to dream big as well.

These last few years have been difficult, made worse by mistakes and failures of leadership.

But if the hill before us is a little steeper we have always been a nation of big steppers.

In this last year, I have been all over this country, from student union cafeterias to kitchen tables, from factory break rooms to boardrooms, and I’ve heard frustration and anger but rarely hopelessness. Many Americans have given up on this President but they haven’t ever thought about giving up. Not on themselves. Not on each other. And not on America.

We have a sacred duty to restore the promise of America. And we will do it. We will do it because we believe in America.

Tonight, I’m asking the good people of Connecticut, Delaware, New York, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island to join me. Join me in the next step toward that destination of November 6th, when across America we can give a sigh of relief and know that the Promise of America has been kept. The dreamers can dream a little bigger, the help wanted signs can be dusted off, and we can start again.

And this time we’ll get it right. We’ll stop the days of apologizing for success at home and never again apologize for America abroad. Together we’ll build the greatest America we have ever known, where prosperity is grown and shared, not limited and divided, an America that guarantees that ours is the door that innovation and greatness always knocks on first.

There was a time – not so long ago – when each of us could walk a little taller and stand a little straighter because we had a gift that no one else in the world shared. We were Americans. That meant something different to each of us, but it meant something special to all of us. We knew it without question. And so did the world.

Those days are coming back. That’s our destiny. Join me. And take another step every day until November 6th.

We believe in America. We believe in ourselves. Our greatest days are still ahead. We are, after all, Americans!

CAMPAIGN 2012

By Bonnie K. Goodman

Ms. Goodman is the Editor of History Musings. She has a BA in History & Art History & a Masters in Library and Information Studies from McGill University, and has done graduate work in history at Concordia University. Ms. Goodman has also contributed the overviews, and chronologies in History of American Presidential Elections, 1789-2008, 4th edition, edited by Gil Troy, Fred L. Israel, and Arthur Meier Schlesinger published by Facts on File, Inc. in late 2011.

CAMPAIGN BUZZ 2012

Live Coverage of the Wisconsin, Maryland and Washington Primaries: Mitt Romney won the Maryland and Washington primaries on Tuesday night, with a comfortable lead in Wisconsin, steadily adding to a comfortable delegate lead that he hopes will soon be formidable enough to drive his lagging rivals from the race for the Republican presidential nomination…. – NYT, 4-3-12

Mitt Romney wins Republican primary in Wisconsin: Mitt Romney has won the Wisconsin primary, AP reports, adding to his commanding lead in the race for the Republican presidential nomination. The former Massachusetts governor also captured Tuesday’s GOP primaries in Maryland and the District of Columbia…. – WaPo, 4-3-12Mitt Romney wins District of Columbia GOP primary: Mitt Romney has won the District of Columbia Republican primary, AP reports. Romney’s leading opponent, former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum, wasn’t on the D.C. ballot.
Romney also captured Maryland earlier Tuesday, and polls have closed in Wisconsin, the day’s most contested primary race…. – WaPo, 4-3-12Mitt Romney wins Republican primary in Maryland: Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney cruised to victory in the Maryland Republican presidential primary Tuesday night, easily defeating former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum…. – WaPo, 4-3-12

Romney Scores Decisive Victories in Maryland and Wisconsin: Mitt Romney tightened his grip on the Republican nomination on Tuesday, and found himself in his first direct engagement with President Obama…. – NYT, 4-3-12

In blow to Rick Santorum, Mitt Romney wins Wisconsin GOP primary: Mitt Romney has won the Republican presidential primary in Wisconsin, according to the Associated Press, delivering what could be a final blow to the sputtering candidacy of Rick Santorum. As voters in Wisconsin, Maryland and the District…. – LAT, 4-3-12

Romney Wins Maryland and Spars With Obama: Mitt Romney was poised to tighten his grip on the Republican nomination, and found himself in his first direct engagement with President Obama…. – NYT, 4-3-12

Romney picks up two wins in Republican race: Mitt Romney won contests in Maryland and Washington, DC on Tuesday to tighten his grip on the race for the Republican presidential nomination and looked to land a big blow on rival Rick Santorum with an expected…. – Reuters, 4-3-12

In Wisconsin Exit Polls, Hints at the Leanings of November Voters: More than 8 in 10 Wisconsin voters said they thought Mr. Romney would be the party’s standard-bearer, according to preliminary exit poll results…. – NYT, 4-3-12

Romney wins rare conservative majority in Maryland; Wisconsin voters see him: Mitt Romney won the Maryland Republican presidential primary broadly and deeply, besting chief rival Rick Santorum among conservatives as well as moderates and emerging as the runaway favorite of those who care most about beating President…. – WaPo, 4-3-12

CAMPAIGN 2012

By Bonnie K. Goodman

Ms. Goodman is the Editor of History Musings. She has a BA in History & Art History & a Masters in Library and Information Studies from McGill University, and has done graduate work in history at Concordia University. Ms. Goodman has also contributed the overviews, and chronologies in History of American Presidential Elections, 1789-2008, 4th edition, edited by Gil Troy, Fred L. Israel, and Arthur Meier Schlesinger published by Facts on File, Inc. in late 2011.

CAMPAIGN BUZZ 2012

IN FOCUS: LIVE COVERAGE OF WISCONSIN, MARYLAND & WASHINGTON DC PRIMARIES — MITT ROMNEY SET TO WIN ALL THREE

Live Coverage of the Wisconsin, Maryland and Washington Primaries: Follow along for live updates, analysis, exit polls and results from The New York Times political unit…. – NYT, 4-3-12

Wisconsin primary looms large for Romney, larger for Santorum: Forty-two delegates are up for grabs when Wisconsin holds its Republican presidential primary Tuesday. But for Rick Santorum, much more appears to be at stake…. – CNN, 4-3-12

Can Mitt Romney settle doubts once and for all in tonight’s primaries?: With Republican primaries in Wisconsin, Maryland and Washington, DC today, front-runner Mitt Romney is poised to win a hat-trick and cement recent gains, but can he change the script – and the doubts over his candidacy – for good this time?… – Globe and Mail, 4-3-12

Primary voting begins in Washington, turnout light as expected: Mitt Romney is expected to coast to victory Tuesday in the lightly contested Republican presidential primary in the District of Columbia, which offers GOP voters in the nation’s capital a rare opportunity to have their voices heard in … – WaPo, 4-3-12

Wisconsin Votes After Fiercely Fought Battle: As Wisconsin voters went to the polls on Tuesday in the first hard-fought Republican presidential primary in the state since 1980, many echoed the arguments made by the two main rivals on the campaign trail…. – NYT, 4-3-12

Wisconsin, Maryland, DC primaries could move Romney closer to nomination: Polls are open in Maryland, the District and Wisconsin, where Tuesday’s Republican primaries could move Mitt Romney closer to a nomination that has hovered just out of his reach.
Romney is favored to win in all three jurisdictions: the closest race appears to be in Wisconsin, where recent polls have shown him with a single-digit lead over former senator Rick Santorum (Pa.)…. – WaPo, 4-3-12

Santorum’s county victories show rural strength: Rick Santorum spent a lot of time campaigning recently in more rural areas of Wisconsin and Maryland, hoping to boost his vote totals today in the states’ primaries. A new analysis shows Santorum is doing better than Mitt Romney… – USA Today, 4-3-12

Primary voters in Wisconsin, DC and Maryland head to polls: Primary voters here will either help solidify Mitt Romney’s grip on the Republican presidential nomination or give Rick Santorum another reason to continue his campaign…. – USA Today, 4-3-12

CAMPAIGN 2012

By Bonnie K. Goodman

Ms. Goodman is the Editor of History Musings. She has a BA in History & Art History & a Masters in Library and Information Studies from McGill University, and has done graduate work in history at Concordia University. Ms. Goodman has also contributed the overviews, and chronologies in History of American Presidential Elections, 1789-2008, 4th edition, edited by Gil Troy, Fred L. Israel, and Arthur Meier Schlesinger published by Facts on File, Inc. in late 2011.

CAMPAIGN BUZZ 2012

Rick Santorum wins Republican primary in Louisiana: Rick Santorum has won the Republican primary in Louisiana, the latest Southern state under his belt after wins in Tennessee, Alabama and Mississippi.

But rival Mitt Romney already has a growing, if not insurmountable, delegate lead over Santorum…. – WaPo, 3-24-12

“The people of Louisiana sent a loud and clear message: This race is long, and far from over.” — Rick Santorum

“We’re very excited about the win. … This race proves that this thing has some legs. This is a momentum shift for us. I think the tide is turning.” — Rick Santorum spokesman Hogan Gidley on MSNBC

Santorum wins Louisiana Republican primary: CNN: Rick Santorum won the Louisiana Republican primary on Saturday, CNN projected based on exit polls, adding an 11th state to his total but still trailing Mitt Romney by a wide margin in the national delegate count…. – Reuters, 3-24-12

Although the victory gives Santorum bragging rights, it does not change the overall dynamics of the race; the former Pennsylvania senator still dramatically lags behind Romney in the hunt for delegates to the GOP’s summertime nominating convention…. – AP, 3-24-12

Lousiana primary results: Rick Santorum wins: Rick Santorum picked up another win on Saturday in Louisiana, but the victory won’t significantly change the delegate advantage held by Mitt Romney in the GOP nominating contest.

The Associated Press called the race for Santorum within minutes of the polls closing, after exit polls indicated he held a comfortable lead. Romney placed second and Gingrich third with a small percentage of precincts reporting.

With the results pretty much set before voting began, the field of GOP hopefuls had already shifted its attention to future contests. Santorum and Gingrich spent Saturday in Pennsylvania, and Santorum went on to Wisconsin. Romney took a break from the trail this weekend and will resume campaigning Monday in southern California…. – Politico, 3-24-12

Santorum wins Louisiana GOP primary: Rick Santorum won Louisiana’s Republican presidential primary Saturday, but his victory seemed unlikely to change the trajectory of the race, in which Mitt Romney remains the prohibitive favorite.

Louisiana was Santorum’s third Southern state win this month — he also won Alabama and Mississippi primaries March 13 — and Newt Gingrich’s third loss in the region that he had made the focus of his campaign…. – USA Today, 3-24-12

Santorum Projected Winner of Louisiana Primary: Rick Santorum was projected as the winner of the Louisiana Republican primary Saturday night, capturing a deeply conservative state with a hefty portion of the kind of evangelical Christian voters who have helped him claim victories in 10 other states.

The Associated Press projected Mr. Santorum as the winner shortly after the polls closed. The victory gives Mr. Santorum a much-needed psychological boost but it will be unlikely to change the dynamics of the race. Only 20 delegates were up for grabs on Saturday, with 26 more to be allocated later. Even if Mr. Santorum were to claim most of them, he would still have only half the delegates that Mitt Romney, his chief rival, has already accumulated…. – NYT, 3-24-12

Rick Santorum wins Louisiana primary: Rick Santorum has won the Louisiana Republican primary, giving his campaign a boost as front-runner Mitt Romney seeks to wind down the nominating process. The Associated Press declared the former senator from Pennsylvania the … – LAT, 3-24-12

Santorum strong across board in LA GOP primary, dominates with conservatives: Preliminary results of an exit poll of voters in Louisiana’s Republican presidential primary show Rick Santorum winning with his most dominant performance yet this year among conservatives and blue-collar voters and getting robust support … – WaPo, 3-24-12

Santorum adds delegates with win in Louisiana primary; haul limited by proportional rule: Rick Santorum picked up at least eight convention delegates by winning the Republican presidential primary in Louisiana. Santorum’s haul was limited by Louisiana’s rules for awarding delegates. The state has a total of 46 delegates to the … – WaPo, 3-24-12

Enthusiastic backers lift Santorum in Louisiana: Early results from exit polls of Louisiana Republican voters show Rick Santorum carried the state with a broad base of enthusiastic supporters and his widest margins of the campaign over Mitt Romney among the conservatives and evangelicals who have lifted his campaign across the South…. – AP, 3-24-12

Louisiana votes in GOP primary Saturday: Republicans went to the polls Saturday in Louisiana to vote in a primary poised to give a boost to Rick Santorum, but also add to Mitt Romney’s growing, if not insurmountable delegate lead in the race for the GOP nomination…. – WaPo, 3-24-12

Exit poll of LA GOP presidential voters shows few consider Etch A Sketch flap: Few voters in Louisiana’s Republican presidential primary said they were influenced by a comment by a Mitt Romney aide likening his campaign’s tactics to an Etch A Sketch toy, even though it was one of the week’s big political stories…. – NYT, 3-24-12

Voter Turnout Appears Light in Louisiana Primary: As Louisiana became the 28th state to head to the polls in a drawn-out Republican presidential race, turnout appeared very light at several sites around New Orleans, a combination perhaps of campaign fatigue and the competition of a … – NYT, 3-24-12

GOP Campaign Could End Soon — But Not in Louisiana: Rick Santorum is likely to win the Louisiana Republican primary on Saturday. He has had a clear and fairly consistent lead of about 14 percentage points in recent polls there. Moreover, Lousiana’s demographics are favorable to Mr. Santorum…. – NYT, 3-24-12

Five scenarios that could finally settle the GOP race: Are we there yet? Not quite. Mitt Romney’s two steps forward, one flub back campaign continues its tantalizing progress toward a total victory that always seems just ahead…. – USA Today, 3-24-12

Voters head to polls in Louisiana: Despite clear blue skies and one of the most closely watched Republican primaries in Louisiana history, voting here Saturday morning was thin and sporadic…. – USA Today, 3-24-12

CAMPAIGN 2012

CAMPAIGN BUZZ 2012

Rick Santorum: ‘Big things are adrift’ (Video, Speech transcript)

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. It is great to be back in Pennsylvania. Thank you for joining us here.

Let me just thank all of you for being here. And I know that they’re not going to be hearing me, but I — I just feel so bad. We have about 1,000-1,500 people who couldn’t get in here. We’re just overwhelmed by the response here, and I just want to say: I feel welcomed back home to Pennsylvania, so thank you very, very much.

It is — it is — first, I just want to congratulate Governor Romney. I gave him a call a little earlier and congratulated him on winning the state of Illinois. But I also want to say — I just want to thank all of the folks in Illinois, all in the — you know, if you look at what — what’s going to happen tonight, we’re going to win downstate, we’re going to win central Illinois, we’re going to win western Illinois. We won the areas that conservatives and Republicans populate, and we’re very happy about that. We’re happy about the delegates we’re going to get, too.

We wanted to come here tonight back to Pennsylvania, back to a favorite place of mine in Pennsylvania, the city and the town of Gettysburg. It’s…

Obviously, it’s — so many memories come to mind when we walk on here in the town and across the street where Abraham Lincoln finished the Gettysburg Address at the Wills House. And you think about the great elections of our past.

And I’ve gone around this country over the past year now and said this is the most important election in our lifetimes. And, in fact, I think it’s the most important election since the election of 1860.

The election in 1860 was about whether these united states — which is what it was mostly referred to prior to the election of 1860 — would become the United States, whether it would be a union, a country bound together to build a great and prosperous nation, a — a nation based on a concept, a concept that we were birthed with, a concept birthed with our founding document of the Declaration of Independence.

I’ve said throughout the course of this campaign that while other issues are certainly important — the economy, joblessness, national security concerns, the family, the issue of life — all of these issues are important, but the foundational issue in this race, the one that is, in fact, the cause of the other maladies that we are feeling, whether it’s in the economy or whether it’s in the budget crisis that we’re dealing with, all boils down to one word, and that’s what’s at stake in this election, and it’s right behind me on that banner, and that’s the word “freedom.”

I was pleased to hear before I came out that Governor Romney is now adopting that theme as his speech tonight.

I am — I am glad we are moving the debate here in the Republican Party. But I’ve been focused on this, because I’ve actually been out talking to people across this country, doing over a thousand town hall meetings. And I know the anxiety and the concerns that people have in this country about an ever-expanding government, a government that is trying to dictate how we’re going to live our lives, trying to order us around, trample our freedoms, whether it’s our economic freedoms or our religious liberty.

But in addition to trampling that freedom, in addition to building a dependency, a dependency on government, as we see government expand and grow, now almost half the people in this country depend on some form of federal payment to help them get — make ends meet in America. And after and if Obamacare is implemented, every single American will depend upon the federal government for something that is critical, their health and their life.

That’s why this election is so important. This is an election about fundamental and foundational things. This is an election about not who’s the best person to manage Washington or manage the economy. We don’t need a manager. We need someone who’s going to pull up government by the roots and throw it out and do something to liberate the private sector in America. That’s what we need.

It’s great to have Wall Street experience. I don’t have Wall Street experience, but I have experience growing up in a small town in western Pennsylvania, growing up in a steel town, growing up in public housing in apartments and seeing how men and women of this country scraped and clawed because they had the opportunity to climb the ladder of success in America.

A lot of those folks out there today feel like nobody in Washington and no one in this debate is really talking about them. That’s why this is a wonderful movement as I travel around this country and everywhere I go. I see people, people in work clothes, folks with children who are maybe not getting the educational opportunities that they hoped for so they could climb that ladder of success, people who are looking for someone to voice their concerns about how this economy is going to turn around for them, not just for those at the top of the income ladder.

That’s why I’ve talked about a manufacturing plan, an energy plan, someone who believes that if we create opportunities by, yes, cutting taxes, but reducing the oppressive regulatory burden that this administration has put on businesspeople and people who want to drill for energy, it needs someone who’s got a strong and clear record that can appeal to voters all across this country and someone who you can trust, someone that you know when they say they’re going to do something, they’re not saying it because, well, that happens to be the popular theme of the moment, but someone who has a long track record of deep convictions, someone who’s going to go out and stand and fight, because it’s not just what the pollster tells them to say or what’s on their TelePrompTer. I don’t happen to have one here tonight.

Because — because they know in their gut from their life experiences, from living in America, that this is what America needs and America wants. They want someone who’s not going to go to Washington, D.C., because they want to be the most powerful person in the world to manage Washington. They want someone who’s going to take that power and give it back to the people of this country.

There is one candidate in this race who can go out and make that contrast with the current occupant of the White House, someone who has a track record of being for you, being for limited government, being for solutions that empower people on the biggest issues of the day, whether it’s Obamacare, Romneycare. They’re interchangeable.

We need someone who understands that the solution to the problem with almost 1/17th of the economy is not government control over that sector economy, but your control over that sector of the economy.

We need someone who understands that we need to grow our energy supplies here in this country. And we need someone you can trust who when in good times and in bad, when times were tough and people thought, well, that — all this oil and gas and coal in the ground is all a source of carbon dioxide, and we can’t take that out of the ground because, well, there’s a finite supply and it could — it could damage our environment and cause global warming…

.. when the climate — when those who — who — who profess manmade global warming and climate science convinced many, many Republicans, including two who are running for president on the Republican ticket, Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich.

But there was one who said: I know this isn’t climate science. This is political science.

And this was another attempt of those who want to take power away from you and control your access to energy, your utilization, whether it’s in your car or in your home of energy, because they are better to make these decisions about how you use energy than you do.

That’s what they believe. And unfortunately, just like in health care, Governor Romney and Speaker Gingrich went along with the ride. And guess what? When the climate changed, they changed their position. And now they’re all for drilling and they’re all for oil and gas and coal. I was for it because it was the right thing to do then; I’ll be for it tomorrow and the next day and the next day. I’m not going to change with the climate.

Ladies and gentlemen, I grew up in this great state, and this is the first day — this is the launch we wanted to come here to Pennsylvania, to launch our campaign here in Pennsylvania. We’ve got five weeks, five weeks to a big win and a big delegate sweep in Pennsylvania.

I come as a son of Pennsylvania, someone who grew up in western Pennsylvania. Everyone knows the story, I hope, of my grandfather, my dad coming to Pennsylvania to work in those coal mines in Somerset County. I learned everything, everything about freedom and opportunity and hard work, and growing up with folks who worked in the mills and the mines in western Pennsylvania.

And so when I speak and I speak from the heart, in the back of my mind are the pictures of those men and women who worked and scraped and clawed so their children and grandchildren could, yes, have a better quality of life, yes, maybe even go to college and not have to work in tough, manual labor, but, most importantly, they fought for the things that the people in this battlefield just down the road fought for.

They fought for big things, things that America’s always stood for, that Ronald Reagan referred to as that shining city on the hill. It’s things that I’m fighting for here today, the reason Karen and I decided, in the face of having seven children ages 20 to 3 — not exactly the best time to run for president of the United States when you have children 20 to 3…

… but Karen and I felt compelled. We felt compelled, because as Ronald Reagan said in one of his great speeches, we didn’t want to have to sit down someday and look at the eyes of our children and our children’s children and describe to them an America where once men were free.

We don’t want to be that generation that lost the torch of freedom. That’s why Karen and the kids behind me, all of whom born in Pennsylvania, all of those folks who understand the — the greatness of our state and the greatness of the values of this state, all of us understand what was sacrificed, in the mills and on the battlefields.

And that’s why we must go out and fight this fight. That’s why we must go out and nominate someone who understands, not because some pollster tells them, because they know in their gut — just like you do — all across this country, you know in your gut big things are adrift and at stake in this election.

So I ask each and every one of you to join us, to saddle up, like Reagan did in the cowboy movies, to saddle up, take on that responsibility over the next five weeks. We’re going to head to Louisiana from here. We’re feeling very, very good about winning Louisiana on Saturday, I might add.

We’re heading to Louisiana for the rest of the week, and then we’re going to be back here in Pennsylvania, and we’re going to pick up a whole boatload of delegates and close this gap and on to victory.

CAMPAIGN 2012

By Bonnie K. Goodman

Ms. Goodman is the Editor of History Musings. She has a BA in History & Art History & a Masters in Library and Information Studies from McGill University, and has done graduate work in history at Concordia University. Ms. Goodman has also contributed the overviews, and chronologies in History of American Presidential Elections, 1789-2008, 4th edition, edited by Gil Troy, Fred L. Israel, and Arthur Meier Schlesinger published by Facts on File, Inc. in late 2011.

CAMPAIGN BUZZ 2012

Damon Winter/The New York Times

IN FOCUS: MITT ROMNEY WINS ILLINOIS PRIMARY BY A LARGE MARGIN OVER SECOND PLACED RICK SANTORUM

Romney Wins Illinois Republican Primary, Exit Polls Say: Mitt Romney won a commanding victory over Rick Santorum in Illinois on Tuesday, providing new ammunition for his argument that the Republican nomination contest should quickly give way to a focus on defeating President Obama.
Mr. Romney bested his chief rival among many types of voters, winning among voters of all ages and most income groups. Mr. Romney drew the support of more moderate voters — as he has in the past — but also won among voters who said they were supportive of the Tea Party movement.
For Mr. Santorum, the loss was a missed opportunity to blunt Mr. Romney’s momentum. Mr. Santorum’s victories have mostly come in the south and Tuesday’s primary was a moment that he could have used to demonstrate strength elsewhere…. – NYT, 3-20-12

Mitt Romney wins Republican primary in Illinois: Mitt Romney has won the Republican presidential primary in Illinois by a wide margin over chief rival Rick Santorum.
The victory renews questions about Santorum’s viability as a candidate, but it is unlikely to shake up the general geometry of the race, as Santorum has vowed to soldier on in hopes of a comeback before the Republican National Convention in August…. – WaPo, 3-20-12

CBS News: Romney to win Illinois primary: CBS News estimates that Mitt Romney will defeat Rick Santorum and his other rivals to take the Republican presidential primary in Illinois…. – CBS News, 3-20-12

Mitt Romney wins Illinois presidential primary: Mitt Romney scored a decisive victory over Rick Santorum in the Illinois primary on Tuesday, tightening his grip on the Republican front-runner’s slot and improving his chances of locking up the nomination by the end of the presidential…. – LAT, 3-20-12

Romney takes the lead in Illinois, looking to gain a little distance on Santorum in GOP race: Backed by a crushing television ad advantage, Mitt Romney jumped ahead of Rick Santorum in early returns from the Illinois primary Tuesday night, bidding for yet another industrial-state triumph in the race for the Republican…. – WaPo, 3-20-12

Exit poll shows huge Romney IL edge from GOP voters looking for candidate to beat Obama: Early exit polling in the Illinois primary is showing Mitt Romney enjoying a big edge among voters seeking a candidate to oust President Barack Obama. Romney is also taking a large lead among those worrying about the economy and federal…. – WaPo, 3-20-12

Illinois Votes in Rare Turn in Spotlight: The Illinois primary has largely come down to a battle between Mitt Romney, who leads in delegates, and Rick Santorum, and in recent days the two campaigned furiously across the state….. – NYT, 3-20-12

Illinois Republican Primary: Mitt Romney and his allies have pounded Rick Santorum on television and radio, especially in the expensive market of Chicago, where the suburban vote could prove decisive for Mr. Romney. Mr. Santorum was still hoping for a strong vote from downstate…. – NYT, 3-20-12

Illinois Primary: Live coverage: The Republican presidential primaries continue Tuesday in Illinois, the land of Lincoln and of President Obama — although, it should be noted, neither was born there. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney hopes that Illinois will give him the kind of … – LAT, 3-20-12

Live blog: Romney banking on big llinois victory: We’re live blogging the results from the Illinois primary, where it’s essentially a two-man battle between Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum. Romney, the GOP front-runner, is hoping for a big win in President Obama’s home state … – USA Today, 3-20-12

Poll: Economy a top issue as Illinois voters head to polls: The economy appears to be a top issue for Illinois voters, just as it has been in other primary states…. – USA Today, 3-20-12

Illinois voters: Keep the primary going!: Even as the Washington Republican political establishment grumbles about the possible ill effects of an extended primary fight for the party’s presidential nomination, voters in today’s Illinois race seem perfectly content for the race to continue for … – WaPo, 3-20-12

Exit poll shows few IL voters worried about prolonged fight for GOP Presidential nomination: Even more months of battling for the Republican presidential nomination? Most voters in Tuesday’s Illinois primary have little problem with that, as long as their candidate wins. An exit poll of Illinois voters shows that around two-thirds…. – WaPo, 3-20-12

Illinois primary: Romney aims to restore inevitability aura: Mitt Romney is seeking a win in today’s Illinois Republican primary to restore the air of inevitability that once surrounded his presidential candidacy, as his closest rival Rick Santorum fights to stay viable with a strong…. – WaPo, 3-20-12

Santorum to speak tonight from Gettysburg: When TV cameras tonight record Rick Santorum’s speech after votes are counted in the Illinois primary, the GOP presidential hopeful won’t be anywhere in the Land of Lincoln. Santorum will be speaking from Gettysburg, Pa…. – USA Today, 3-20-12

Illinois primary: For Mitt Romney, delegates less important than ‘winning’: The Illinois primary Tuesday is an opportunity for Mitt Romney to extend his delegate lead on Rick Santorum. But a big win in the popular vote might be more important…. – CS Monitor, 3-20-12

Long GOP nomination fight worries few IL voters: A battle for the Republican presidential nomination that slogs on for months more? If that’s what it takes for their candidate to prevail, most voters in Tuesday’s Illinois GOP primary say it’s not a problem.
Less than a third of them want the already prolonged GOP fight to end quickly, even if their favorite loses out, according to preliminary results of an exit poll Tuesday. About two thirds say they’re happy to let the contest continue for months more, as long as their candidate comes out on top.
Illinois voters expressed that sentiment with the nomination fight already well into its third month and appearing likely to stretch into April and beyond…. – AP, 3-20-12

Five things to know about the Illinois presidential primary: On a balmy first day of spring, Illinois voters may be about to play a decisive role in a Republican presidential marathon that started in the winter chill in neighboring Iowa. 1. Voting early and often. It’s a tired political cliché…. – LAT, 3-20-12

CBS News early Illinois exit polls: 4 in 10 Romney, Santorum voters “have reservations”: More than four in ten of the people who voted for Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum in Tuesday’s GOP primary in Illinois “have reservations” about their choice, according to early CBS News exit polls.
Forty-seven percent of Romney voters “strongly” favor their candidate, as do 44 percent of Santorum voters. But 41 percent of Romney voters and 44 percent of Santorum voters say they have concerns about their choice. Another one in ten supporters of each candidate say they dislike the other candidates.
The exit polls also found that two in three Illinois GOP voters would prefer that their candidate win the nomination even if the race goes on a long time. Twenty-nine percent said they would prefer that the race end soon even if it means their candidate loses…. – CBS News, 3-20-12

CAMPAIGN 2012

By Bonnie K. Goodman

Ms. Goodman is the Editor of History Musings. She has a BA in History & Art History & a Masters in Library and Information Studies from McGill University, and has done graduate work in history at Concordia University. Ms. Goodman has also contributed the overviews, and chronologies in History of American Presidential Elections, 1789-2008, 4th edition, edited by Gil Troy, Fred L. Israel, and Arthur Meier Schlesinger published by Facts on File, Inc. in late 2011.

CAMPAIGN BUZZ 2012

“Mitt Romney won the Puerto Rican primary by a huge margin and we are granting him the 20 delegates.” — Enrique Melendez, the Republican representative on the Puerto Rican State Electoral Commission

“This is a primary process where somebody had a huge advantage, huge money advantage, huge advantage of establishment support and he hasn’t been able to close the deal and even come close to closing the deal. That tells you that there’s a real flaw there.” — Rick Santorum

“I can’t tell you exactly how the process is going to work. But I bet I’m going to become the nominee.” — Mitt Romney

Romney wins Puerto Rico, GOP campaign continues: Mitt Romney scored an overwhelming win Sunday in Puerto Rico’s Republican presidential primary, trouncing chief rival Rick Santorum on the Caribbean island even as the two rivals looked ahead to more competitive contests this week in Illinois and Louisiana.
The victory in the U.S. territory was so convincing that Romney, the GOP front-runner, won all 20 delegates to the national convention at stake because he prevailed with more than 50 percent of the vote. That padded his comfortable lead over Santorum in the race to amass the 1,144 delegates needed to clinch the nomination.
Nevertheless, the GOP nomination fight is unlikely to end anytime soon, with Santorum refusing to step aside even though Romney is pulling further ahead in the delegate hunt…. – AP, 3-18-12

Mitt Romney cruises to victory in Puerto Rico: Mitt Romney has easily won the Puerto Rico primary, continuing his dominance in GOP contests in America’s island territories. Romney went into the vote heavily favored, and with the backing of Gov. Luis Fortuno…. – LAT, 3-18-12

Puerto Rico votes; Romney, Santorum campaign in next-up primary states: The GOP presidential race veered offshore to Puerto Rico, where 20 delegates were in stake in Sunday’s primary but residents cannot vote in the general election. While fighting for votes in the US territory, Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum … WaPo, 3-18-12

Romney Projected Winner in Puerto Rico: Mitt Romney was projected Sunday as the winner of the Republican presidential primary in Puerto Rico, a winning streak he is aggressively working to repeat here in the Illinois primary on Tuesday…. – NYT, 3-18-12

Newt Missed Puerto Rico Opportunity, Says His Island Chief: Why is the candidate with the strongest record on Hispanic issues poised to wash out on the island? If he had shown up, the race “would have been a lot closer,” Regis tells BuzzFeed’s McKay Coppins…. – BuzzFeed, 3-18-12

Romney would support statehood for Puerto Rico: Mitt Romney on Saturday shopped for tropical fruit and told a small crowd he would support statehood for the island if that option wins the Nov. 6 referendum on Puerto Rico’s political status. Puerto Rico is currently a US territory…. – AP, 3-18-12

The day before the island’s primary, Romney says he would support statehood: Mitt Romney is courting voters in Puerto Rico ahead of the island’s primary as he looks toward voting in Illinois next week. Romney on Saturday shopped for tropical fruit and told a small crowd he would support statehood for the … – WaPo, 3-18-12

Romney campaigns in Puerto Rican style, says he supports statehood if they want it: In Puerto Rico on Friday the Romney campaign found that politics here comes in a distinctly local flavor. Gone were the rusty factories, introductions to campaign theme song “Born Free,” and even the “thanks you guys” … – msnbc.com, 3-18-12

Romney supports Puerto Rican statehood without English condition: After his main rival ignited a firestorm over requiring Puerto Rico to adopt English as a condition of statehood, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney flew to the island … – CBS News, 3-18-12

CAMPAIGN 2012

By Bonnie K. Goodman

Ms. Goodman is the Editor of History Musings. She has a BA in History & Art History & a Masters in Library and Information Studies from McGill University, and has done graduate work in history at Concordia University. Ms. Goodman has also contributed the overviews, and chronologies in History of American Presidential Elections, 1789-2008, 4th edition, edited by Gil Troy, Fred L. Israel, and Arthur Meier Schlesinger published by Facts on File, Inc. in late 2011.

Rick Santorum wins GOP primary in Mississippi: Rick Santorum has won the Republican primary in Mississippi, his second victory of the night after winning in Alabama.
Results in Hawaii and the American Samoa, which also voted today, are expected early Wednesday morning…. – WaPo, 3-13-12

Rick Santorum wins Republican primary in Alabama: Rick Santorum has won the Republican primary in Alabama, beating Mitt Romney and dealing a blow to Newt Gingrich’s hopes of keeping his candidacy alive with victories in the South. WaPo, 3-13-12

AP: Mitt Romney wins GOP caucus in American Samoa: Former Mass. governor Mitt Romney has won the Republican presidential caucus in American Samoa, picking up all nine delegates, the Associated Press reported…. – WaPo, 3-13-12

Santorum Wins Mississippi and Alabama Primaries: Rick Santorum captured both Republican primaries in Mississippi and Alabama on Tuesday, dealing a forceful rebuke to Mitt Romney’s hopes of demonstrating political strength in the South as he grinds toward his party’s nomination.
The failure by Mr. Romney to emerge as a victor in the three-way battle with Mr. Santorum and Newt Gingrich was underscored by his weakness with the Republican party’s traditional constituencies. Mr. Romney lost among very conservative voters and evangelical Christians, according to exit polls.
Mr. Gingrich appeared poised to come in second in both states Tuesday night, ahead of Mr. Romney but having failed to deliver any first-place victories in southern states outside of his home state of Georgia.
The immediate question for Mr. Gingrich will be whether pressure mounts for him to exit the race to allow conservatives to coalesce behind someone other than Mr. Romney…. – NYT, 3-13-12

“We did it again. This is a grassroots campaign for president. Who would have ever thought in the age of media that we have in this country today that ordinary folks from across this country can defy the odds day in, day out?
For someone who thinks this race is inevitable, he’s spending a whole lot of money against me.
The time is now for conservatives to pull together. The time is now to make sure — to make sure that we have the best chance to win this election, and the best chance to win this election is to nominate a conservative to go up against Barack Obama who can take him on, on every issue.” — Rick Santorum

“Because this is proportional representation, we are going to leave Mississippi and Alabama with a substantial number of delegates.
One of the things tonight proved is that the elite media’s effort to convince the nation that Mitt Romney is inevitable just collapsed. If you’re the frontrunner and you keep coming in third, you’re not much of a frontrunner.” — Newt Gingrich

“With the delegates won tonight, we are even closer to the nomination. Ann and I would like to thank the people of Alabama and Mississippi. Because of their support, our campaign is on the move and ready to take on President Obama in the fall.” — Mitt Romney Statement

Live Coverage of the Alabama, Mississippi and Hawaii Primaries: Follow along for live updates, analysis, results and more from The New York Times political unit…. – NYT, 3-13-12

Live blog: Three-way GOP tossup in Deep South: We’re live blogging the results from tonight’s GOP presidential primaries in Alabama and Mississippi.
The few statewide polls available show a tight race in both states among Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum. Ron Paul lags well behind and hasn’t really been competing in the two states…. – USA Today, 3-13-12

Santorum sweeps Mississippi, Alabama primaries: Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum has won Tuesday night’s primary contests in Alabama and Mississippi.
With almost all of the precincts reporting in Alabama, Santorum earned 35 percent support, with Newt Gingrich barely edging Mitt Romney out for second as each won about 29 percent of the vote.
Meanwhile, in Mississippi, with nearly all of the votes in, Santorum led his rivals with 33 percent support, while Gingrich followed him with 31 percent. Romney came in third with 30 percent.
The Associated Press reported that Romney picked up all nine delegates in the Republican caucus in American Samoa. There are also caucuses going on in Hawaii, although results have not yet been announced…. – CBS News, 3-13-12

Santorum wins big in South, grabs conservative banner: Republican Rick Santorum won a pair of crucial Deep South primaries on Tuesday, taking control of the party’s conservative wing in the presidential race and dealing a severe setback to rival Newt Gingrich.
Santorum narrowly defeated Gingrich and front-runner Mitt Romney in three-way battles that shook up a volatile Republican presidential race that has already seen a series of shifts and stumbles.
The losses were a huge blow to Gingrich, who represented Georgia in Congress and desperately needed a win in one of the Deep South states to validate his southern-based comeback strategy and keep his struggling campaign afloat…. – Reuters, 3-14-12

Santorum wins GOP primaries in Mississippi, Alabama: Rick Santorum won Republican presidential primaries in Alabama and Mississippi tonight, propelling his candidacy and wrecking Mitt Romney’s hopes for a game-changing Southern breakthrough.
While the returns were incomplete, Newt Gingrich was running second ahead of Romney in both states.
Santorum, speaking in Louisiana, took a rhetorical swipe at Romney, the front-runner who has depicted himself as the inevitable GOP nominee. The former Pennsylvania senator predicted he would win the nomination.
“He spent a whole lot of money against me, for being inevitable,” Santorum said of Romney. He added that “all the establishment” of the Republican Party was “on the other side of this race.”
“We are going to win this nomination,” Santorum said. “If we nominate a conservative, we will defeat Barack Obama and set this country back on the right track.”
With most precincts counted in Alabama, Santorum had nearly 35% of the vote.
In Mississippi, Santorum had a small lead and 33% of the vote with nearly all precincts counted…. – USA Today, 3-13-12

Wins in South For Santorum: Rick Santorum won the Republican presidential primaries in Alabama and Mississippi Tuesday, solidifying his claim to be the favored candidate of the party’s conservative base and the main challenger to front-runner Mitt Romney.
Mr. Santorum’s victories will bring new clarity to a race so far marked primarily by the inability of Mr. Romney to overcome resistance from the party’s most conservative voters. A nominating contest that has lasted longer than most expected may enter a new chapter in which Messrs. Romney and Santorum go head-to-head.
Mr. Romney was hoping that he could prove his ability to consolidate the party behind him by scoring an upset win in the Deep South. His campaign argued Tuesday night that the losses wouldn’t diminish Mr. Romney’s lead in the delegate count or ease Mr. Santorum’s path to winning the 1,144 delegates needed to claim the nomination…. – WSJ, 3-13-12

Rick Santorum sweeps to victories in Alabama and Mississippi Republican Primaries: A resurgent Rick Santorum swept primaries in Alabama and Mississippi Tuesday night, upending the race for the Republican presidential nomination yet again and nudging Newt Gingrich toward the sidelines. Mitt Romney was running third in … – WaPo, 3-13-12

Santorum: Time to ‘pull together’: Rick Santorum solidified his status as the conservative candidate in the GOP nomination fight after capturing double wins Tuesday in Alabama and Mississippi. The pair of scores robbed rival Mitt Romney of the opportunity to claim credibility in the South, thereby putting a quick end to the protracted GOP nominating fight…. – Politico, 3-13-12

After wins, Santorum says it’s time ‘for conservatives to pull together’: Rick Santorum scored two major victories in his insurgent campaign for the Republican presidential nomination Tuesday, winning the Alabama and Mississippi primaries and dealing a potentially…. – LAT, 3-13-12

GOP rivals look to Louisiana as next red state to woo: With victories in Alabama and Mississippi on Tuesday, Rick Santorum was already looking ahead to Louisiana’s presidential primary in 10 days, gathering here with supporters to press for another win in the Deep South…. – USA Today, 3-13-12

Gingrich vows fight, says Romney ‘not much of a front-runner’: Newt Gingrich fell short in his bid Tuesday to reignite his presidential campaign with wins in two Southern primaries but did not budge from his pledge to go all the way to the Republican convention, arguing that the … – LAT, 3-13-12

Newt Gingrich second in Alabama, Mississippi primaries: Newt Gingrich has said he plans to continue on in the Republican presidential race no matter the outcome of the primaries in Alabama and Mississippi. But Tuesday’s losses in both of these Deep South states — territory that should have set up favorably…. – WaPo, 3-14-12

Gingrich: I’m not leaving: Newt Gingrich said Tuesday night he feels “no pressure” to drop out of the race for the Republican presidential nomination. After delivering his primary-night speech in Birmingham, Ala., Gingrich told Fox News’s Bret Baier that he will stay in the race after losing both Mississippi and Alabama on Tuesday…. – Politico, 3-13-12

Mitt points to the scoreboard: Reacting to this evening’s primaries in a statement, rather than live remarks, Mitt Romney emphasizes that the delegate-level fundamentals of the race haven’t changed…. – Politico, 3-13-12

Mitt fails to clinch Southern wins: Mitt Romney placed third in Alabama and Mississippi Tuesday, but his campaign argues that’s irrelevant. With Romney, Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich bunched within five percentage points of each other, the trio is poised to effectively split the 90 delegates at stake in the two Southern states…. – Politico, 3-13-12

Exit polls show Santorum wins in AL with voters considering candidate’s….: Santorum had a huge lead among voters in both states seeking a candidate who is a real conservative, winning just over half of their votes. He also captured more than 6 in 10 of those in each state preferring a candidate with strong moral … – WaPo, 3-13-12

Early exit polls show deeply conservative Ala., Miss. voters strongly back: Voters going to the polls for the tightly fought GOP primaries in Mississippi and Alabama expressed strong support for their chosen candidates, compared with voters in earlier primaries, according to Tuesday’s exit polls. And those polls suggested the … – WaPo, 3-13-12

Voting in Alabama, Mississippi could clarify race: Mitt Romney hoped to seal his status as the Republican presidential front-runner with a thus-far-elusive victory in the Deep South, a region that has been slow to embrace the former Massachusetts governor…. – AP, USA Today, 3-13-12

In Alabama and Mississippi primaries, expect the unexpected: Just one week after an indecisive Super Tuesday, voters in two Deep South states could rewrite the story line of the 2012 presidential race. The outcomes in Alabama and Mississippi are expected to be close, with any of three Republican…. – LAT, 3-13-12

Live Coverage of the Alabama, Mississippi and Hawaii Primaries

Live blog: Three-way GOP tossup in Deep South

We’re live blogging the results from tonight’s GOP presidential primaries in Alabama and Mississippi.

The few statewide polls available show a tight race in both states among Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum. Ron Paul lags well behind and hasn’t really been competing in the two states.

Key questions: Does Romney win in either state and solidify his grasp on the GOP nomination? Can Gingrich, the former House speaker and Georgia congressman, do well in his backyard and pick up some momentum? Will Santorum eke out a win to stake his claim on conservatives?

Romney, the overall delegate leader, has couched the two Southern states as an “away game” for him. Because delegates are awarded by proportion of the vote, each candidate stands to win some tonight — thus ensuring the GOP race will continue.

Caucuses are also being held in Hawaii and American Samoa. Overall, the states and American Samoa have a total of 119 delegates, and most come from Alabama and Mississippi….READ MORE

Alabama, Mississippi primary night: Romney tries to take control

Mitt Romney speaks at a campaign event in St. Louis, Mo. | AP Photo
Mitt Romney hopes to finally take control of the Republican presidential race by winning one or both of the primaries in Alabama and Mississippi on Tuesday night.

But his conservative foes are vowing to fight on regardless of tonight’s outcome, seeking to deny Romney the delegates he needs to clinch the GOP nomination.

A Romney victory in either of the Deep South states would put Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich on shakier ground as they argue that their party’s conservative base will not accept Romney as its candidate. Throughout the 2012 race, Romney has struggled to win evangelicals and the GOP’s most conservative voters and has been unable to win a Southern state so far — except for Virginia, where Santorum and Gingrich were not on the ballot.

But the most recent polling before tonight’s races, conducted by the Democratic firm Public Policy Polling, showed a close single-digit race in both Alabama and Mississippi, with all the candidates within reach of first place….READ MORE

Voting in Alabama, Mississippi could clarify race

Mitt Romney hoped to seal his status as the Republican presidential front-runner with a thus-far-elusive victory in the Deep South, a region that has been slow to embrace the former Massachusetts governor.

A pair of closely fought primaries Tuesday in Alabama and Mississippi also could render a possible final verdict on Newt Gingrich’s Southern-focused candidacy and give Rick Santorum the two-man race he’s sought against Romney.

Santorum picked up a vote from Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley, who had not publicly endorsed the former Pennsylvania senator. Bentley’s spokesman said the governor traveled to his hometown of Tuscaloosa to vote for Santorum, whom he considers “the most conservative candidate in the Republican presidential race.”

With polls showing an unexpectedly tight race in the conservative bellwether states, Romney stopped in Alabama on Monday — a clear indication he was eyeing a potential win there….READ MORE

CAMPAIGN 2012

CAMPAIGN BUZZ 2012

Rivals Call Romney a Weak Choice for G.O.P. Nomination

With two key Southern primaries on the horizon this week, Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich sharpened their attacks against Mitt Romneyon Sunday, as Mr. Santorum bluntly declared that his leading rival “can’t close the deal,” and Newt Gingrich called Mr. Romney the party’s weakest front-runner since 1920.

Multimedia

While much of the attention is focused on Mr. Romney, the Republican contests in Alabama and Mississippi on Tuesday could bring a new measure of clarity to the field. The tension between Mr. Gingrich and Mr. Santorum is steadily increasing, but Mr. Gingrich has rejected suggestions that he leave the race if he fares poorly in the two primaries.

“I think we’re probably pulling ahead in both states right now,” Mr. Gingrich said in an interview on “Fox News Sunday.” He rejected the assertion that Mr. Santorum was the strongest conservative in the race, saying: “I think there’s a space for a visionary conservative with big solutions.”

Mr. Santorum, who swept to a commanding victory in the Kansas caucuses on Saturday, stopped short of joining his aides and supporters in calling for Mr. Gingrich to end his campaign. But he made clear that a two-man race with Mr. Romney was the party’s best chance to present a conservative alternative for Republicans.

“Speaker Gingrich can stay in as long as he wants, but I think the better opportunity to nominate a conservative is to give us an opportunity to go head-to-head with Gov. Romney,” Mr. Santorum said Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “Hopefully that occurs sooner rather than later.”

The Republican presidential campaign has become a race to win 1,144 delegates needed to secure the party’s nomination. Mr. Romney holds a significant advantage over his rivals, but his advisers believe that he will not reach the delegate threshold for at least two more months….READ MORE

POLITICAL HEADLINES

OBAMA PRESIDENCY & THE 112TH CONGRESS:

THE HEADLINES….

Video: President Obama is hitting back at Republican criticism of his energy policies and his role in controlling gasoline prices.

Disapproval of President Obama’s handling of the economy is heading higher — alongside gasoline prices — as a record number of Americans now give the president “strongly” negative reviews on the 2012 presidential campaign’s most important issue, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.

Increasingly pessimistic views of Obama’s performance on the economy — and on the federal budget deficit — come despite a steadily brightening employment picture and other signs of economic improvement, and they highlight the political sensitivity of rising gas prices.

Graphic

Public disapproval of President Obama’s handling of the economy is again on the rise.

The potential political con­sequences are clear, with the ­rising public disapproval reversing some of the gains the president had made in hypothetical general-election matchups against possible Republican rivals for the White House. Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney and former senator Rick Santorum (Pa.) now both run about evenly with Obama. The findings come just five weeks after Obama appeared to be getting a boost from the improving economy.

Gas prices are a main culprit: Nearly two-thirds of Americans say they disapprove of the way the president is handling the situation at the pump, where rising prices have already hit hard. Just 26 percent approve of his work on the issue, his lowest rating in the poll. Most Americans say higher prices are already taking a toll on family finances, and nearly half say they think that prices will continue to rise, and stay high….READ MORE

CAMPAIGN 2012

By Bonnie K. Goodman

Ms. Goodman is the Editor of History Musings. She has a BA in History & Art History & a Masters in Library and Information Studies from McGill University, and has done graduate work in history at Concordia University. Ms. Goodman has also contributed the overviews, and chronologies in History of American Presidential Elections, 1789-2008, 4th edition, edited by Gil Troy, Fred L. Israel, and Arthur Meier Schlesinger published by Facts on File, Inc. in late 2011.

CAMPAIGN BUZZ 2012

Republican presidential candidate former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum salutes supporters at the Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum in Jackson, Miss. Santorum has strong support among many conservative Christians in the state which his campaign hopes results in winning the Mississippi primary, on Tuesday, March 13.

Santorum Takes a Decisive Victory in Kansas Caucuses: Rick Santorum extended his winning streak of Midwestern and Southern states with the help of evangelical Christians and others calling themselves “very conservative.”… – NYT, 3-10-12

“We are very pleased to see the Santorum surge sweeping through the Jayhawk State. This is a great win for the campaign and further evidence that conservatives and tea party loyalists are uniting behind Rick as the true, consistent conservative in this race.” — Rick Santorum spokesperson Hogan Gidley

Santorum takes Kansas in a rout, Romney strong in Wyoming: Rick Santorum’s strong win in the Kansas caucuses Saturday will give him most of the delegates there. Now it’s on to primary elections in Alabama and Mississippi next Tuesday…. – CS Monitor, 3-10-12

Santorum captures Kansas caucuses, Romney shows strength in Wyoming in GOP Caucuses: Rick Santorum won the Kansas caucuses in a rout on Saturday and Mitt Romney showed strength in Wyoming, the latest contests in the grinding campaign for the Republican presidential nomination. Returns from 61 percent of Kansas precincts … – WaPo, 3-10-12

Santorum adds delegates with win in Kansas caucuses; Romney gets delegates in territories: Rick Santorum has picked up at least 32 delegates in Saturday’s caucuses, and he could get even more if his margin of victory holds up in Kansas. Mitt Romney has added at least 23 delegates, most of them from winning contests in Guam and … – WaPo, 3-10-12

Santorum wins Kansas GOP caucuses: Former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum has won the Kansas Republican caucuses, the Associated Press projects, giving his campaign a boost as he seeks to make the case for a one-on-one contest against former … – WaPo, 3-10-12

Strong support for Santorum at one Kansas caucus site: Hundreds of Republicans turned out on a crisp, clear Saturday in the state’s largest city to cast votes in a presidential contest that could influence the drawn-out race, likely giving Rick Santorum bragging rights as he competes to win…. – LAT, 3-10-12

Santorum Leads in Kansas Caucuses’ Vote Count: Rick Santorum appeared to be on his way to a decisive victory in the Kansas caucuses on Saturday. With about a third of the votes counted by midday, Mr. Santorum held a large double-digit lead percentagewise over his rivals…. – NYT, 3-10-12

Solid in Kansas, Santorum Seeks to Build Margin: “We chased all the candidates out of Kansas!” Rick Santorum boomed as he took the podium one day before Saturday’s caucuses in the state, which his two leading rivals are not seriously pursuing. Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich have … – NYT, 3-9-12

Santorum banking on victory in Kansas caucuses: NBC’s Mark Murray joins MSNBC to explain why delegates in Mississippi and Alabama could shape the rest of the GOP race. By Tom Curry, msnbc.com National Affairs Writer Setting the stage for primary elections Tuesday in Alabama and Mississippi…. – msnbc.com, 3-10-12

Rick Santorum aims to narrow race against Mitt Romney: Rick Santorum, hoping to notch a win in the Kansas caucuses on Saturday, flew into the state Friday for rallies in the capital and Wichita, the largest city, pitching himself to the state’s voters as the true conservative in contrast to … – LAT, 3-9-12

Santorum hopes to narrow the field in Kansas: The former Pennsylvania senator aims for a big boost as Republicans in the conservative state hold caucuses. Ron Paul shadows him on the campaign trail. Rick Santorum campaigns in Wichita, Kan… – LAT, 3-9-12

CAMPAIGN 2012

CAMPAIGN BUZZ 2012

Santorum: Obama, Romney share distrust of America

Hoping to tap into deep distrust of Washington, Republican Rick Santorum suggested Friday that President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney share a top priority: to take away Americans’ money and freedom so they can tell them how to live.

A day before Kansas Republicans weigh in on the party’s presidential contest, Santorum looked to shore up support in this Midwestern state that seemed ready to give the former Pennsylvania senator yet another win and further challenge Romney’s front-runner status. With sharp rhetoric, Santorum likened Romney to Obama and cast both as unacceptable for conservatives.

“We already have one president who doesn’t tell the truth to the American people. We don’t need another,” Santorum said to cheers. “Gov. Romney reinvents himself for whatever the political occasion calls for.”…READ MORE

CAMPAIGN 2012

CAMPAIGN BUZZ 2012

Santorum argues for two-man race with Romney

Rick Santorum is making the argument for a two-man race with GOP front-runner Mitt Romney, but he’s not calling on Newt Gingrich to drop out.

In an interview Wednesday night on Fox News, Santorum said Gingrich should “stay in if he wants to stay in.” He called on Mississippi voters to help him narrow the Republican field, during a rally earlier that evening.

“If you deliver a victory for us on Tuesday, you will make this a two-person race,” Santorum said, according to the Associated Press. “And once it’s a two-person race, the conservative will be the nominee. You can change it all, Mississippi.”

Alabama and Mississippi hold primaries on Tuesday. Gingrich yesterday canceled plans to campaign in Kansas, which holds caucuses on Saturday, so he can concentrate on the two Southern states.

“What I’m saying is that the best chance for us to nominate a conservative is to get in a one-on-one match with Gov. Romney,” Santorum told Fox News host Greta Van Susteren. “And we’re going through the process of proving we’re the best conservative, we’re the right person, not only just to beat Gov. Romney but to defeat Barack Obama.”

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Romney wins 6 of 10 states on Super Tuesday but Santorum, Gingrich vow to fight on

Source: WaPo, 3-7-12Video: The Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza discusses what the presidential Republican race looks like after Mitt Romney’s win in Ohio on Super Tuesday, and whether the former Massachusetts governor has the nomination sewn up.

Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum each won Republican presidential primaries in multiple states on Tuesday night, with Romney narrowly edging his rival in the key state of Ohio after a battle that highlighted stubborn divisions in their party.

Former House speaker Newt Gingrich won the primary in his home state of Georgia, once again reviving his campaign. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas did surprisingly well in a losing effort in Virginia, indicating that the tumultuous four-way GOP race is likely to rumble on for weeks.

Ohio Primary Results

Results as of 1:25 PM ET | 0:00

Candidate

Votes

% Won

Mitt Romney

455,993

37.9%

Rick Santorum

445,690

37.1%

Newt Gingrich

175,352

14.6%

Ron Paul

111,129

9.3%

Other

13,848

1.1%

Romney beat Santorum by just one percentage point in Ohio, a state that is vital to Republican hopes in November’s general election. Romney had trailed badly there in recent weeks, but rebounded as a result of heavy TV advertising and repeated visits to the state. He also won four states where he faced little opposition: Massachusetts, Virginia, Vermont and Idaho. In the Alaska caucuses, he won with 32.6 percent of the vote, compared to 29 percent for Santorum, 24 percent for Paul and 14.2 percent for Gingrich.

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By Bonnie K. Goodman

Ms. Goodman is the Editor of History Musings. She has a BA in History & Art History & a Masters in Library and Information Studies from McGill University, and has done graduate work in history at Concordia University. Ms. Goodman has also contributed the overviews, and chronologies in History of American Presidential Elections, 1789-2008, 4th edition, edited by Gil Troy, Fred L. Israel, and Arthur Meier Schlesinger published by Facts on File, Inc. in late 2011.

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Mitt Romney greeted supporters in Massachusetts, one of the states he won on Tuesday night.

IN FOCUS: SUPER TUESDAY GOP / REPUBLICAN PRIMARY RESULTS

Super Tuesday represents the biggest day in the race for the Republican nomination so far, with 419 total delegates at stake in 10 states — more delegates than have been awarded in all of the previous nominating contests combined. – CBS News

Updates on Super Tuesday Races: Mitt Romney picked up early victories in the Republicans’ Super Tuesday primary contests, but Rick Santorum won in Tennessee and Oklahoma and Newt Gingrich took his home state of Georgia…. – NYT, 3-6-12Live blog: Romney wins six Super Tuesday states — Santorum wins three states: We’re live-blogging results from Super Tuesday, where voters in 10 states cast ballots in the GOP presidential race… – USA Today, 3-6-12

Romney takes 6 Super Tuesday states, Santorum nets 3: CBS News projects that Mitt Romney will win Ohio’s key primary contest Tuesday, after a neck-and-neck race with rival Rick Santorum to eke out a victory in the pivotal battleground state.
With 96 percent reporting in Ohio, Romney has 38 percent support to Santorum’s 37 percent. Newt Gingrich is in third place with 15 percent and Ron Paul follows with 9 percent.
Mitt Romney has also won primaries in Virginia, Massachusetts and Vermont, as well as the Idaho caucuses. Rick Santorum won primaries in Tennessee and Oklahoma, and in the North Dakota caucuses. In Georgia, Gingrich clinched his first primary victory since South Carolina’s January 21 primary contest.
Ron Paul did not win any contests on Tuesday, but he did finish second in four states: Vermont, Idaho, North Dakota and Virginia.
The Associated Press reports that Romney also won Alaska’s Super Tuesday caucuses. According to the AP’s tally, Santorum came in a close second, followed by Ron Paul and then Newt Gingrich. The state’s 24 delegates are allocated proportionally…. – CBS News, 3-7-12Mitt Romney wins Ohio primary: Mitt Romney won Super Tuesday’s grand prize, the Ohio presidential primary, beating out Rick Santorum in a hard-fought battle for the Rust Belt state’s 66 delegates.
The victory was Romney’s fifth of the night, and promised to give him the lion’s share of delegates overall after 10 states went to the polls Tuesday. The win should cement his status as the man to beat in the Republican presidential contest.
Santorum’s victories of the night were Oklahoma, North Dakota and Tennessee; Newt Gingrich won his home state of Georgia. Results in the final state that voted on Super Tuesday, Alaska, are due later this morning…. – WaPo, 3-6-12

AP, Networks Call Ohio for Romney: Mitt Romney appears to have won the Ohio primary by a razor-thin margin, according to the Associated Press and television networks, barely staving off an embarrassing loss at the hands of his chief rival, Rick Santorum.
After trailing for much of the night, Mr. Romney moved into the lead in Ohio with a surge of support from the big cities of Cincinnati and Cleveland and their suburbs.
As night turned to early morning, Mr. Romney extended his lead to more than 12,000 votes, leading the AP to finally call the race at about 12:30 a.m. Wednesday morning…. – NYT, 3-7-12

Super Tuesday: Romney starts fast, Santorum hangs tough: Mitt Romney chalked up Super Tuesday wins in Virginia, Vermont and Massachusetts, seeking to fasten his grip on the GOP nomination by dominating the single biggest day of balloting in the hard-fought … – LAT, 3-6-12Super Tuesday: Washington Post covers Republican primary results: … tweeters, columnists and bloggers to help readers make sense of Super Tuesday – the biggest single day in the race for the Republican presidential nomination. More than a half dozen reporters have spread out across the key primary and caucus … – WaPo, 3-6-12

Ohio primary results: Too close to call: Rick Santorum and Mitt Romney are headed toward an extremely close finish in the race for the ultimate Super Tuesday battleground, Ohio, after the two candidates divided up Republican primary votes and traded victories in states across the nation…. – WaPo, 3-6-12Mitt Romney takes Idaho, his fourth win of night: Mitt Romney has won the Idaho caucuses, his fourth victory of the night, AP reports.
Romney was considered the clear favorite, thanks to the state’s heavy Mormon population as well as to the goodwill he earned across the Rocky Mountain region from his work running the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City.
The 32 delegates in the state are likely to be awarded winner-takes-all.
As of 11:45, the only two states that hadn’t picked a winner were Alaska, which didn’t expect results until early morning, and Ohio, which remained locked in a fierce battle between Romney and Rick Santorum. WaPo, 3-6-12

Santorum claims third win in North Dakota: Rick Santorum has earned his third victory of the night in the North Dakota caucuses, according to the AP.
Ron Paul had hoped to post his first win in the Republican presidential race with a strong grass-roots effort in the state, but was trailing Santorum in early returns, with Mitt Romney in third place.
No winner has been declared in Idaho, Alaska or the battleground state of Ohio, where Santorum and Romney were locked in a battle that was still too close to call…. – WaPo, 3-6-12

Rick Santorum wins GOP primary in Oklahoma: Rick Santorum has won the Republican primary in Oklahoma, according to exit polls, his second victory of the night after Tennessee.
Oklahoma is a key win over well-funded rival Mitt Romney, signaling that the GOP race is likely to extend long beyond this Super Tuesday. WaPo, 3-6-12

Rick Santorum wins GOP primary in Tennessee: Rick Santorum has won the Tennessee Republican primary, according to the AP, his first victory of the night.
The race in this Super Tuesday’s most important battleground state — Ohio — remains too close to call…. – WaPo, 3-6-12

Mitt Romney wins Massachusetts GOP primary: Mitt Romney has won the Republican primary in Massachusetts, his third victory of this Super Tuesday in the state where he served as governor.
Romney’s win in Massachusetts, where he has lived for 40 years, followed earlier victories in Virginia and Vermont.
The only other candidate to win a state so far is former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who won his own home state of Georgia. WaPo, 3-6-12

Mitt Romney wins GOP primary in Vermont: Mitt Romney has won the Republican primary in Vermont, according to the AP.
Vermont is the second win of the night for the former Massachusetts governor after he claimed victory in Virginia…. – WaPo, 3-6-12

Mitt Romney wins GOP primary in Virginia: Mitt Romney has won the Republican primary in Virginia, according to the AP.
Romney and Texas Rep. Ron Paul were the only candidates on the ballot…. – WaPo, 3-6-12

Exit polls: Gingrich wins home state of Georgia: Newt Gingrich has won the Georgia primary, taking his home state and winning his second state in the 2012 presidential campaign, according to exit polls.
Gingrich’s win ends a losing streak that lasted a month and a half. His last and only win came in South Carolina’s primary on Jan. 21…. – WaPo, 3-6-12

Romney Appears the Ohio Winner; Santorum Strong: Mitt Romney appeared to pull off a narrow victory in Ohio on Super Tuesday but lost several other states to Rick Santorum, a split verdict that overshadowed Mr. Romney’s claim of collecting the most delegates and all but ensured another round of … – NYT, 3-7-12

Romney takes 5 of 10 Super Tuesday contests: Mitt Romney won five of 10 Super Tuesday contests including crucial Ohio, advancing his claim on the Republican presidential nomination without ending questions about the breadth of his appeal within the party…. – USA Today, 3-7-12

Super Tuesday: Romney edges Santorum in key Ohio battle: Mitt Romney has won a narrow victory over Rick Santorum in the marquee Super Tuesday battle of Ohio, according to a projection by the Associated Press. Ohio’s primary proved to be the tightest battle of the 2012 Republican … – LAT, 3-7-12

Santorum and Romney Split Victories: Mitt Romney extended his lead in delegates on Super Tuesday but voters failed to deliver a decisive victory that could have brought a swift end to the Republican presidential contest…. – WSJ, 3-6-12

Super Tuesday impossibly close for Romney, Santorum: Both Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum have three states as they wait for results from Ohio to come in. With 91 percent of the Ohio votes tallied, Romney only has a 5000 vote lead out of the 1.1 million votes that have been counted…. – CS Monitor, 3-6-12

GOP race takes toll on front-runner Romney: Super Tuesday confirmed anew that Mitt Romney remains the favorite to win the Republican presidential nomination, but his slow, unsteady march is coming at a steep price. As he advances toward victory in the primaries, he is losing ground in the … – WaPo, 3-6-12

Romney gains in GOP race, but Ohio still too close: Mitt Romney won five of 10 Super Tuesday contests including crucial Ohio, advancing his claim on the Republican presidential nomination without ending questions about the breadth of his appeal within the party…. – USA Today, 3-6-12

Romney vows to clinch the nomination: Though there was no winner yet in the crucial state of Ohio, Mitt Romney took the stage in Boston on Tuesday night to claim his victories, including his home state of Massachusetts. “There are three states now tonight under our belt and … – LAT, 3-6-12

Romney and Santorum Locked in Ohio Battle With Much at Stake: Once again Ohio lived up to its reputation as a state of deeply divided political passions. Just a week ago, Rick Santorum had a comfortable lead in the polls here, but a victory by Mitt Romney in Michigan last week seemed to give … – NYT, 3-6-12

Santorum: We’re winning across the nation: With at least two Super Tuesday victories under his belt, Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum boasted of his campaign’s wide geographical appeal while taking sharp aim at his main GOP rival Mitt Romney.
“We have won in the West, the Midwest and the South, and we’re ready to win across this country,” Santorum said from Steubenville, Ohio.
In Tennessee, with 1,733 of 2,141 precincts reporting, Santorum carried 37 percent of the vote, while Romney had 28 percent and Newt Gingrich took 24 percent.
And with 1,778 of 1,961 precincts reporting in Oklahoma, Santorum is leading with 34 percent while Romney takes 28 percent and Gingrich 27 percent. Later in the evening, Santorum was declared the winner in the North Dakota caucuses…. – CBS News, 3-6-12

Newt Gingrich wins Georgia, but will it help?: A resurgent Newt Gingrich, fresh off a resounding win in his home state, touted “the power of large solutions and big ideas” during a victory speech at his primary night headquarters…. – USA Today, 3-6-12

Super Tuesday: Newt Gingrich says he’s a survivor: Newt Gingrich, racking up a Super Tuesday win in the state where he launched his extraordinary political rise, predicted he would win the GOP nomination despite opposition from the nation’s elites because “people power” will trump … – LAT, 3-6-12

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Rick Santorum’s Super Tuesday speech (full transcript, video)

Rick Santorum addressed supporters in Steubenville, Ohio, Tuesday night, where he was locked in a dead heat with Mitt Romney. Read the full transcript of Santorum’s speech below (text courtesy FDCH transcripts).

SANTORUM: Thank you!

(APPLAUSE) Well, thank you for coming out, Steubenville, Ohio. And God bless you. Thank you for being here.

(APPLAUSE)

For the folks listening at home, we’re in Steubenville, Ohio.

(APPLAUSE)

Not too many presidential candidates come to Steubenville, Ohio, much less hold their victory party here in Steubenville, Ohio.

(APPLAUSE)

We’re in a high school gymnasium. I just came from our war room, which doubles as the weight room for the high school, was pumping a little iron to get myself psyched for coming out here.

SANTORUM: And we just prepared our talk where many talks were prepared for this gym floor, in the coach’s room. This is our roots. Here behind me is, well, a part of our family, because this is the where we’re from. We’re from down here in the areas of southeastern Ohio, West Virginia, and southwestern Pennsylvania, where — where the folks who worked hard and built this country lived and worked for many, many decades here.

(APPLAUSE)

I’m particularly excited to be here with my family. When I say “my family,” I mean not just my family of our immediate family, but my — my — my mom, who’s right here. This is my mom, Kay (ph), 93…

I got my brother here and his family, and Karen has, well, several. Karen is one of 11 children, so you can imagine brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, we’ve a great crew back here, all behind us, all behind us, because this campaign is about the towns that have been left behind and the families that made those towns the greatest towns across this country.

(APPLAUSE)

This was a big night tonight, lots of states. We’re going to win a few, we’re going to lose a few, but as it looks right now, we’re going to get at least a couple of gold medals and a whole passel full of silver medals.

(APPLAUSE)

We can — we can add to Iowa, Missouri, Minnesota, Colorado now Oklahoma and Tennessee. We have…

(APPLAUSE)

We have won in the West, the Midwest, and the South, and we’re ready to win across this country.

(APPLAUSE) I want to thank, again, my wife. I know that, you know, those who have seen her on the campaign trail, the common refrain is “More Karen, less Rick.” But I’m working on it. I’m trying to get as good as she is at this political stuff.

But she has been an amazing partner for — for me and my conscience, my — my biggest supporter, my most important, my most honest critic, and someone who has kept our family together and continues to do remarkable and incredible things every day for me and all of us, thank you very much, my love.

(APPLAUSE)

We have almost all the kids here. We have John, Sarah Maria — where are you — Patrick, Elizabeth, Peter, and Daniel. And they’re all wearing buttons for our little Bella. So we got everybody here.

(APPLAUSE)

We went up against enormous odds, not just here in the state of Ohio, where — who knows how much we were outspent — but in every state. There wasn’t a single state in the list that I just gave you where I spent more money than the people I was able to defeat to win that state. In every case, we overcame the odds.

Here in Ohio: still too close to call.

(APPLAUSE)

But just like the folks here in Steubenville and throughout the Ohio Valley and all the — all the valleys of this country that are the heart and soul of this country, they worked hard and they overcame odds. And that’s what — that’s what we’re here to talk about. And that’s why we came to Steubenville. That’s one of the reasons I’m so proud to have my mom and my father-in-law and mother-in-law up on stage with me. They’re a part of the greatest generation of America.

(APPLAUSE)

They preserved liberty by sacrificing immeasurably to keep this country free from despots. Ladies and gentlemen, it’s a bit different battle that we’re engaged in today, but it’s no less a battle for the basic liberties that this country was founded upon.

We have a group of people in Washington and in other places around this country who believe that the elites in Washington are the ones who should be making the decisions for all of us, and they have systematically gone and grown the size and scale of government to beyond where it’s — well, it’s just unrecognizable. We are running deficits, where we’re borrowing 40 cents of every dollar.

And as you look at all of the young people here, the leaders in Washington are saying to you, on your tab, and you will pay for this, the rest of your life.

What right does the government have to do that to the next generation?

(BOOING)

We have people who believe that America’s best days are behind us. They believe that it’s no longer possible for free enterprise, a free economy, and free people to be able to build strong communities and families and be able to provide for themselves and their neighbors. No, we now need an increasingly powerful federal government to do this for us.

(BOOING)

The reason that Karen and I ultimately decided to get into this race was because of that issue, and in particular one issue. I’ve said it almost every stump speech I’ve given. If it wasn’t for one particular issue that to me breaks the camel’s back with respect to liberty in this country, and that is the issue of Obamacare.

(BOOING)

What we have — what we will go to in a very short period of time, the next two years, a little less than 50 percent of the people in this country depend on some form of federal payment, some form of government benefit to help provide for them. After Obamacare, it will not be less than 50 percent; it will be 100 percent.

Now, every single American will be looking to the federal government — not to their neighbor, not to their church, not to their business or to their employer, or to the community or nonprofit organization in their community — will be looking always to those in charge, to those who now say to you that they are the allocator and creator of rights in America.

(BOOING)

Ladies and gentlemen, this is the beginning of the end of freedom in America. Once the government has control of your life, then they got you. That’s why we decided to step out. As you look, I mean, Karen and I have seven children, ages 20…

(APPLAUSE)

… ages 20 to three, not exactly the best time to be out running for president of the United States. We’ve given up our — our jobs. We’re living off our savings. Yeah, we’re making a little sacrifice for a very, very big goal, and that is replacing this president on November of this year.

(APPLAUSE)

In order to make that happen, the Republican Party has to nominate somebody who can talk about the broad vision of what America is. As I talk about in every one of my speeches, I talk about how important it is that we remember who we are.

Ronald Reagan, in his farewell address to the American people, worried about whether America would remember what made us great, that we are not a great country because we have a great and powerful government. We are a great country because we believe that rights don’t come from the government, but as in our founding document, the Declaration of Independence, says, our rights come to us from our creator.

(APPLAUSE)

The government’s job and the Constitution of this country was intended to do one thing: protect those rights, so each and every one of you would have the opportunity to build their own life, to take your own path, to create a strong family, strong neighborhood, community, state and country. That’s what made America great.

We built a great country from the bottom up. And we need people to go up against President Obama and his vision of a top-down government control, of not just health care, but of energy and of manufacturing and of financial services, and who knows what else is next.

But this is a — this is a president who believes — who believes that he simply is better able to do this than you are, that he will be fairer than you are with your fellow man.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is an election about fundamental liberty. And the signature piece, the signature piece of legislation that points this out, where you have economic rights created by the government, and then the government using its heavy hand to force you to buy insurance, to force you to take policies that you don’t want, and, of course, to force you to take coverages that may even violate your faith convictions…

(BOOING)

… in this race, there is only one candidate who can go up on the most important issue of the day and make the case, because I’ve never been for an individual mandate at a state or federal level. I’ve never…

SANTORUM: I’ve never passed a statewide government-run health care system when I was governor, because, well, I wasn’t governor, but Governor Romney did. And now we find out this week not only did he pass it in Massachusetts, he advocated for it to be passed in Washington, D.C., in the middle of the debate on health care.

(BOOING)

It’s one thing to defend a mandated top-down government-run health care program that you imposed on the people of your state. It’s another thing to recommend and encourage the president of the United States to impose the same thing on the American people. And it’s another thing yet to go out and tell the American public that you didn’t do it.

(BOOING)

We need a person running against President Obama who is right on the issues and truthful with the American public.

(APPLAUSE)

This race provides a great opportunity for a great contrast.

SANTORUM: Big things have to happen in this country to — to bring us back from the brink of insolvency. Big things have to happen so we can secure our freedom and, as I talked about this morning in front of AIPAC, that we have a president that stands with our allies and defends this country and does not apologize for America around the world.

(APPLAUSE)

We need a fighter. We need a fighter and someone who learned what America was about by growing up in communities just like this, understanding how America and neighborhoods and families work, and believing in them, understanding they’re under a lot of stress and strain right now, much of which is put upon them by the government, understanding that that’s the greatness of our country. My mom and my mother-in-law and father-in-law represent here on this stage the greatest generation. And…

(APPLAUSE)

Mom’s hamming it up a little bit over there. OK.

(LAUGHTER)

But the greatest generation was the greatest generation not because they had greater — greater character or courage or perseverance than those of us today. The greatest generation was great because, when freedom was at stake, they rose to meet the call to defend this country.

(APPLAUSE)

We’re at a time in this country when freedom is at stake and you are all blessed, as I am, to be here at a time when your country needs you, to be here at a time, like the original founders of this country, who signed that Declaration of Independence, to be here at a time when freedom was at stake and people were willing to go out and do heroic and courageous things to win that victory.

I want to thank all of you here in Ohio for overcoming enormous odds to make this a great night for us here in the Buckeye State.

(APPLAUSE)

I want to thank, in particular, up here on stage, Mike and Fran DeWine for all the help and support and standing up and fighting for me throughout the course of this time. Thank you.

(APPLAUSE)

Tonight, it’s clear. It’s clear. We’ve won races all over this country against the odds. When they thought, oh, OK, he’s finally finished, we keep coming back.

(APPLAUSE)

We are in this thing. We are in this thing not because I so badly want to be the most powerful man in this country. It’s because I want so badly to return the power to you in this country.